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FLORENCE OF WORCESTER'S
CHRONICLE.

THE

CHEONICLE

OF

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER

WITH THE TWO CONTINUATIONS;

COMPRISING ' ' "-^ Vy ^J

ANNxVLS OF ENGLISH HISTORY, FROM THE DEPARTURE
OF THE ROMANS TO THE REIGN OF EDWARD I.

TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN,

WITH XOTES AND ILLUSTBATIOSS,

By THOMAS FOEESTER, A.M.

LONDON :
HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.

MDCCCLIV. t

JUN - 3 1^58
I 0^ ^^

LONDON :

PETTER AND GALPIN, PKINTEES, PLAYHOUSE TAKB,

ADJOINING THE " TIMES" OFFICE.

PREFACE.

The Chronicle of Florence of Worcester, so far as it relates
to English history, with its two Continuations, embraces the
period from the departure of the Romans in the year 446, to
the twenty-third year of tlie reign of Edward I. in 1295. It
is founded on an earlier Chronicle, compiled by Marianus
Scotus, one of the man}^ learned Irishmen sent forth from the
" Island of Saints," between the sixth and eleventh centuries.
Marianus entered the Irish monastery of St. Martin at
Cologne about the year 1056 ; two years afterwards he with-
drew into complete seclusion at Fulda, and removed in 1059,
still as a recluse, to Mentz, where he ended his days ; his
death being variously assigned to the years 1083 or 1086.
This long seclusion afforded him leisure for composing a
Chronicle, extending from the creation of the world to tlie
close of his own life ; but which is of comparatively little
interest to ourselves, as even the latter portion of it relates
almost entirely to the German empire or the Popedom, and
contains only a few short references to events connected with
this island.

Florence has preserved these, in making the work of
]Marianus the basis of his own Chronicle. The rest of his
materials for the earlier period of English history are chiefly
suj)plied by Bede, the Saxon Chronicle, the Lives of Saints,
and Asser's Life of Alfred ;^ of the latter of which he gives

' Florence copied Assor so literally that he has twice adopteil
expressions omployctl hy the former, which might lead us to sup-
pose that the chronicler had personally examined the positions on
which two of the battles he describes were fought. See pp. 63 and 70
of the present volume.

VI r RE FACE.

almost an exact transcript, carrying the series of events
down to the year 888. He then reverts to the Saxon
Chronicle, which continues to be his main resource until he
approaches his own times ; not, however, exclusively, for
during one period he has scarcely extracted anything from
it, and in treating of events of later times, especially those
of the reign of Edward the Confessor, his narrative is
much more circumstantial than any to be found in the
existing manuscripts of that record. Florence has also
largely collected from other sources, and selected his materials
with great fidelity, industry, and judgment. He is therefore
justly ranked next to Bede, and the compilers of the Saxon
Chronicle, among the authorities for early English history, and,
even on the ground which they travel together, his work, far
from being superseded, forms a valuable supplement to
them.

" On the nones [the 7th] of July, 1118, died Florence,
the monk of Worcester, whose acute observation and inde-
fatigable industry have rendered this Chronicle of Chronicles
preeminent." Such is the brief record, inserted by John,
who was also a monk of Worcester, in his continuation of
the Chronicle, which supplies nearly all the information we
possess respecting our eminent annalist. Ordericus Yitalis,
indeed, who flourished about the same period, notices the
Chronicle, but in terms which have occasioned some per-
plexity to the editors of Florence. The passage, certainly,
contains no less than two grave errors ; but, allowing
for these, there appears less difficulty than has been
supposed in reconciling it with the jDrobable state of the
facts.

Ordericus informs us that during his visit to England, he
met with a work at Worcester, of which he gives the follow-
ing account : — " John of Worcester, a native of England, and
a monk of AVorcester, a man of venerable character and great
learning, in the additions which he has made to the chronicles
of Marianus Scotus, has gathered faithful accounts of king
William, and of the events which occurred in his reign, and
in those of his sons, William Rufus and king Henry, to the
present day." Then, after a very exact account of the chro-
nicle of Marianus, he says : — " John of Worcester, who fol-
lowed, recorded the events of nearly a century, and, by order

PREFACE. VU

of the venerable Wulfstan, bishop and monk, appended his
continuation to the chronicle of Marianus, succinctly relating
many thinirs worthy of observation in the histories of the
liomans [the popedom], the French, Germans, and other
nations."^

In this passage, Ordericus incorrectly describes the " con-
tinuation of the chronicle of Marianus," which he saw at Wor-
cester, as recording the events of nearly a century, while, as
it will presently appear, it could only have embraced a i>eriod
of about thirty-four years. He has also committed the more
serious error of attributing the work to a person whose
share, if any, in it was very small, suffering the name of Flo-
rence, the real author, to escape his observation. This has
led Mr. Thorpe to suggest, " that during Wulfstan's lifetime,
and while Florence was engaged on his work, the labours
of John were bestowed on the original Chronicle of Marianus,
and that the manuscript containing those labours is no longer
known to exist." ^ But the theory of bishop Wulfstan's
distribution of the task between the two monks of
Worcester, and of John's being employed on the original
chronicle of Marianus, is, it should seem, sufficiently refuted
by John's express statement already quoted, that it was
"Florence's knowledge and industry which raised the Chro-
nicle of Chronicles," meaning clearly the whole work, to
its pitch of pre-eminence; and it would still leave us
in the same dilemma as to Ordericus's omission of any
reference to the labours of Florence, whatever they may
have been.

The learned editor proceeds to inquire, " Can any part
of any copy of the Chronicle of Marianus Scotus, embodying
Florence of Worcester, be pointed out as answering the de-
scription given by Orderic of the labours of the monk John?*'
The reply is, that the Chronicle of Florence of Worcester,
in the existing manuscrijits, embodying Marianus Scotus, to
reverse the phrase, does precisely answer the description
given by Ordericus, as far as regards its general character,
with the exception of the two errors into which he has fallen.

' Ordericus Vitalis, b. iii. c. 15 ; pp. 493, 494, in Bohn's edition.
"^ Preface to the Enylish Historical Society's edition of Florence,
P- iv. O (\

\30

t: ni

viii PREFACE.

Thore is sufficient ground for inferring that Florence
oonuncnced liis work at the instance of bishop Wulfstan,
and wo find liis additions to, and "continuation" of,
:Marianus, comprising events, both domestic and foreign, in
tlio spoeitic periods corresponding with the description of
Ordericus, namely, the reign of William and his two
sons ; although the Norman historian has unaccountably repre-
sented that period as extending in round numbers to a
liundred years.

Tlie misapprehension of the passage of Ordericus appears
to have arisen from connecting two paragraphs which have no
such connection in the pages of the Norman monk. In the
fifteenth Chapter of his third Book, Ordericus gives a short
account of some authors who had written of the times of king
WilHam and his two sons ; and he mentions first, William of
Poitiers, and Guy, bishop of Amiens. He then proceeds, in
the next paragraph, to describe the labours of Marianus, and
the monk of Worcester, whom he calls John ; but without
any furtlier reference to those of William of Poitiers and
Guy of Amiens. Mr. Thorpe, however, reads the passage of
Ordericus differently. He says : "After due praise bestowed

on those works he then goes on to say, that a monk

of Worcester, named John, faithfully extracted from William
of Poitiers, and Gtiy of Amiens, that which he added to the
Chronicles of Marianus Scotus concerning William the Con-
queror and his sons," &c. It may be doubted whether either
of the two monks of Worcester ever saw the works of the
French authors here referred to, and, probably, there are no
parts of the Chronicle wdiich can be traced to them ; but
the words here printed in Italics are not contained in Orde-
ricus, and we venture to think that the passage will not bear
the turn they give it.^ If this view be correct, the grounds
on which the genuineness of Florence's work is questioned
will be so far narrowed.

A little attention to dates will put the matter in a clear
liglit. It appears from internal evidence that Ordericus, a
monk of St. Evroult, in Normandy, commenced his own great
work some time before the year 1123, perhaps about 1120.
He seems to have made no great progress when he undertook

^ The words of Ordericus, of which a translation has just been
given, p. vii, are these : — "Joannes Wigornensis in his quae

PREFACE. IX

a journey to England for the purpose, it may be supposed, of
collecting materials for the English annals, which are closely
interwoven with those of Xormandy during the latter portion
of his history. He informs us that he spent five weeks at
Croyiand, in the time of abbot Geoffrey f and as we find in
the course of his work that this abbot died on tlie otli June,
112-4-,^ we are able to fix within limits sufiiciently accurate
for the present purpose the period of Ordericus's journey
to England, during which he made the visit to Worcester.
Bishop Wulfstan was raised to that see in 1062, but as Mari-
anus himself carried on his Chronicle to 1083, it must have
been subsequently to the latter year that the bishop employed
Florence in the labour of amplifying and continuing it. \\ ulf-
stan died in 1095, but Florence survived till June, 1117, so
that there was ample time between the death of Marianus and
his own, a period of upwards of thirty-four years, for a recluse
of liis industry and intelligence to have completed the task.
Ordericus himself only lived to ll-ll or 1142, so that it is
impossible that he could have seen a Continuation containing
the events of a century after the death of ISIarianus, that is,
extending to the year 1183; far in the reign of the third,
instead of the second, Henry.

Matters standing thus, and Ordericus coming to Wor-
cester, according to these calculations, some three or four
years after the death of Florence, he would find the Chro-
nicle of Marianus in the state in which he describes it, as aug-
mented and carried forward to the reign of Henry I. It
would naturally be in the hands of the monk John, who
was employed in further continuing it ; and there being, as

Mariani Scoti chronicis atljecit, de rege Gulielmo, et de rebus qua sub
eo, vel sub filiis ejus Guliehno Kufo et Henrico, usque hodie con-
tigerunt, hone.ste deprompsit." In the editions, both of Duchesne and
the Societe cV Histoire de France, the passage forms the commence-
ment of a new paragraph, and, as the words m his evidently apply to
the chronicle of Marianus, and cannot well be referred to deprompsit,
there is nothing in the sentence to connect the latter word with
"William of Poitiers, and Guy of Amiens. I\I. Dubois, the French
translator of " Ordericus," thus reads it : "Jean de AVorcester . .
... a park- convenablement, dans Ics additions aux chroniques de
I'Ecossais Marien, taut du roi Guiliaume (jue des evenements qui sont
passes sous lui, et sous ses fils Guiliaume le Roux et Henri, jusqu'ii
nos jours."

2 B. iv. c. IG. 3 B. xiii.

X PREFACE.

appears from the manuscripts, no break in the annals conse-
quent on tlie change of authors, we can only suppose, with
JSIr. Petrie, tliat these circumstances led him to ascribe the
merit of the whole work to the surviving continuator of
Iklarianus, ^vith whom lie conversed; or that, his memory
having failed him, or his notes being imperfect, he confused
tlie name of John, his personal acquaintance, with that of
Florence, when he got Imck to Xormandy and resumed his
own labours. However this may be, the statement of Orde-
rieus, possibly originating in a slip of his memory, or his pen,
can hardly be allowed to cast a shadow of doubt on the
genuineness of the Chronicle, as being the work of Florence,
when it is weighed against the direct testimony of his brother
monk of the same house, writing on the spot, and immediately
after his death.^

This view of the case disarms the criticism that the con-
tinuator, John of Worcester, " is hardly identical with the
other monk of the same name and place spoken of by Orde-
ricus Yitalis;"^ to say nothing of the improbability of there
being two such persons engaged in the work at nearly the
same period.

With respect to the authorship of the first Continua-
tion— independently of what may be gathered from a
careful examination of the passage in Ordericus, — there
is internal evidence that it was compiled by a monk of
Worcester named John, who was cotemporary with the events
which he records. One of these circumstances is sufficiently
indicated by an entry under the year 1038, in which the writer
says,

" Be JoHX corrected, if there aught occur
In which the reader finds his pages err."

That he was cotemporary with the occurrences which he re-
lates, appears incidentally fi-om his mode of speaking of king
Stephen, where he says : " He was, nay is, at the present

* 'M. Le Prevost, the learned editor of the Ordericus published
by the French Historical Society, says in his note on the passage
in dispute :— " Florent de Worcester, et non pas Jean, a continue^la
chronique de son devancier [Mariauus], non pas pendant pres d'un
siecle mais de 1083 a 1117, en y ajoutant beaucoup de faits relatifs a
Ihistoire d'Angleterre."— Tome ii. p. 160.

^ Preface to the E. H. Society's edition of Florence, p. vii.

PREFACE. XI

moment, desirous of peaee ;'* and he mentions Henry de
Blois, bishop of Winchester,^ and Milo, earl of Hereford,'^ as
living characters from whom he had received certain informa-
tion ; whence we also learn that he had access to the
highest sources of intelligence. The most striking passage
in the volume is, perhaps, that in which he paints, as an eye-
witness, the fearful scenes which occurred during an assault
on Worcester l)y the partisans of the empress Maud, when an
infuriated rabble burst into the abbey church whilst he and
the rest of the monks were chanting primes in the choir.^
Indeed, like his predecessor Florence, he is naturally more
diffuse and circumstantial than other chroniclers respecting
occurrences connected with Worcestershire, the neighbouring
counties, and the borders of Wales.

Tlie first Continuation of Florence brings the annals down
to the close of the year 1141, the period of Stephen's cap-
tivity, after losing tlie battle of Lincoln. As several of the
manuscripts, however, terminate Avith the year 1131, it has
been supposed that the history of the last ten years was the
work of another cotemporary writer ; but so far from there
being internal evidence of any such change, the entry in which
John, the monk of Worcester, introduces his own name, was
inserted as late as 1138. While, therefore, there is no reason
to doubt that the original Chronicle is the genuine pro-
duction of Florence, the authorship of the first Continu-
ation may be safely ascribed to John, the monk of Worcester,
who was probably his disciple, and on whom his mantle
worthily fell.

The work of continuation appears to have been now sus-
pended, and the interval between the years 1141 and 1152,
when Henry II. ascended the throne, is filled up in one of the
best manuscripts by a transcript from the History of Henry of
Huntingdon. The scene of labour was then shifted from
Worcester to Bury St. Edmund's, as appears from the fre-
quent entries of occurrences connected with that locality
inserted in the second Continuation, which was compiled by
John de Taxter, a monk of Bury. Like most other chronicles,
his work begins with the creation ; but it is only from the
year 1152, where the continuation of Florence commences,

' A.D. 1134 and 1137 ; pp. 249 and 253 of the present vol.
2 A.D. 1140 ; p. 282, ib. 3 A.D. 1131) J pp. 270, 271.

XV PREFACE.

that it is of any value. De Taxtcr carries on the annals
tln-ouu-li the reii^ns of Henry IE., llichard I., and John, to the
year ll^O."), the forty-ninth of Henry IH., in which the battle
of Evesham was fought.

Tlie remainder of the second Continuation appears to have
been also the work of a monk of Bury, from its constant re-
ference to matters connected with that town and abbey.
These notices, more or less dispersed throughout this portion
of the Chronicle, are not without interest, particularly from
the light they throw on the exactions levied by the Norman
kings on the religious houses, a subject on which the writers
ai)pear to have been very sensitive. Much curious informa-
tion is also furnished on the general taxation of the kingdom,
and monetary affairs of the time. The history is carried
on through the latter years of the reign of Henry III., until
nearly the close of that of Edward I. ; where it terminates
abruptly in the year 1295.

This second Continuation of the Chronicle, which is now
for the first time presented to the English reader, has been
translated from the text of the Historical Society's edition,
])rinted from a manuscript, once the property of lord
William Howard,^ and now belonging to the College of Arms.
The Society's text has also been used in translating the
Chronicle and the first Continuation ; its basis being a valu-
able Manuscript in the library of the C. C. College, Oxford,
which appears to have formerly belonged to the abbey of
Worcester.

The Chronicle of Florence of Worcester, with its first Con-
tinuation, was originally published in 1592, by lord William
Howard, from two manuscripts then in his possession, and
now in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, and w^as
reprinted at Frankfort, in 160], with Matthew of West-
minster.

Prefixed to all the copies, are lists of the popes from St.
Peter to Honorius II., who died in 1130 ; of the seventy
disciples ; of the Jewish high-priests, both before and after
the captivity ; and of the archbishops and bishops of the
several English sees, from the time of St. Augustine to that of

^ Lord William Howard was the third son of Thomas, duke of
Norfolk, warden of the Scottish marches; the "Belted Will" of
Walter Scott's Lay of the Last Minstrel.

PREFACE. Xm

arclibisliop Tlieobald. These are followed by genealogies of
the Anglo-Saxon kings, with short accounts of the origin
and limits of the several kingdoms of the Heptarchy, and
their division into bishoprics. The list of the popes is found
in Marianus ; the others were probably added by Florence,
as they occur in all the manuscrij)ts. Translations of all the
lists connected with English history are appended to the
present edition.

T. F.
Qth October, 1854.

THE CHRONICLE

07

PLOEENCE OF WORCESTER.

[a.d. 446.] The Britons, being unable to endure the in-
cursions of the Picts and Scots, sent messengers to Rome,
imploring aid against their enemies, and promising submission
for themselves. A legion, dispatched to their aid without
loss of time, slaughtered vast numbers of the enemy and
drove the rest beyond the borders of Britain. The Romans
then, on the point of being withdrawn, recommended th
Britons to build a wall across the island between the two
seas, for their own defence ; but as they had no one of
sufficient skill to direct such works, more turf than stone was
used in the construction, and the labour spent on it was
thrown away. No sooner were the Romans departed, than
the enemy, landing in boats, levelled, trampled down, and
swept off, whatever came in their way, as if they were reaping
corn ripe for the harvest. Again the Romans, listening to
the prayers of the Britons, flew to their succour, and having
defeated the enemy, forced them to recross the straits ; and
then, in conjunction with the Britons, instead of the former
earthen rampart, constructed a solid wall of stone, from frith
to frith, between the towns which had been built there as a
security against hostile inroads. They also erected watch-
towers, at intervals, along the south coast, commanding views
of the sea, as the enemy threatened them also in that quarter

B

2 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 446 — 449.

The Romans then bid the Britons farewell, telling them they
should not again return.

No sooner, however, were the Roman troops withdrawn,
than the Scots and Picts again issued from the north, and,
expelling the natives, occupied the whole island as far as the
wall. Nor did they stop there ; for slaying, driving off, or
taking prisoners, those who were stationed to guard the wall,
the fierce ravagers broke through it in places, and even
swept off an immense booty from within its line of defence.
In consequence, a lacrymose epistle, full of complaints, was
addressed to a man in high authority at Rome, ^tius, then
consul for the third time, in the twenty-third year of the
emperor Theodosius, imploring succour, which was not
granted.

Meanwhile, a severe famine, which was very general, dis-
tressed the fugitive Britons, compelling some of them to
deliver themselves up to their enemies, while others,
sheltering themselves in the mountains, caves, and woods,
made an obstinate resistance. The Scots retreated to their
own country, intending to return shortly ; the Picts occupied
the remotest part of the island ; where they then first, and for
ever afterwards, settled. The famine already mentioned was
succeeded by a very abundant harvest; with plenty came
excess and recklessness ; then followed a deadly pestilence ;
and, to crown all, a still severer infliction at the hands of the
Angles, new enemies, who, by the unanimous counsels of the
Britons, under their king Vortigern, were invited to come
over to defend the country ; instead of which, they invaded
and subdued it. In consequence, during the reign of the
emperor Marcian, people of the race of the Saxons or Angles
crossed over to Britain in three long ships, and were followed
by a stronger force, when the news of their prosperous voyage
reached home. These, uniting with the first body, in the
first instance expelled the enemy they were summoned to
encounter, and then, turning their arms against their allies,
overran with fire and sword nearly the whole island from east
to west, that is, the central districts, on the false pretence
that the Britons had not given them adequate subsidies for
fighting their battles.

[a.D. 447—449.]

A,D. 450-473.] ARRIVAL OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS. 3

[a.d. 450.] According to Bede,* the Anglo-Saxons landed
in Britain from three long ships in the reign of the Em-
peror Marcian ; the people who came over belonging to
three of the most powerful tribes in Germany, that is to say,
the Saxons, Angles, and Jutes. The Kentish-men and the
inhabitants of the Isle of Wight derive their origin from
the Jutes ; those of Sussex, Middlesex, and Wessex from the
Saxons; and the East- Angles, the Mid-Angles, the Mercians,
and the whole Northumbrian race, with the rest of the
English population, are descended from the Angles, that is,
they sprung from the country called Angle. It is reported
that two brothers, Hengist and Horsa, were their first chiefs.
They were the sons of Yictigils, whose father was Witta, the
son of Vecta, the son of Woden ; from which stock the royal
line of many provinces derived its origin.

[a.d. 451—454.]

[a.d. 455.] Hengist and Horsa fought against Vortigern,
king of the Britons, at a place called ^Egcles-threp [Ayles-
ford], and, although Horsa was slain in the battle, Hengist
gained the victory, and after these events reigned jointly with
his son Gilsc.

[a.d. 450.]

[a.d. 457.] Hengist and (Esc engaged in battle with the
Britons at a place called Creccanford [Cray ford] and put four
thousand of them to the sword ; the rest of the Britons then
abandoned Kent, and fled to London in great terror.

[a.d. 458—404.]

[a.d. 405.] Hengist and CEsc fought against the Britons
near Wippedesfleote, [Ebbsfleet,] which means the place
where Wipped crossed the water. They slew twelve chiefs
of the enemy's army, with many others, while on their side
only one thane, whose name was Wipped, fell in the battle.

[a.d. 406-47*2.]

[a.d. 473.] Hengist and CEsc fought with the Britons for

* Ecclex. Hist. b. i. c. 15, whore Bede assigns the year 449 (it should
be 450) for the coinincncement of the Emperor Alarcian's reign of
seven years, during which he fixes the eera of the arrival of the Anglo-
Saxon tribes in Britain. The Saxon Clironicle agrees witli this
statement of Bede, who, however, incidentally referring to tliis event
in oiher parts of his history, places it about the year 440 or 447.

B 2

4 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 474 — 507.

the fourth time, and, gaining the victory, took spoils without
number ; in which battle the Britons fled before the Angles
fts they would from lire.

[a.D. 474 — 470.]

[aj>. 477.] iElla and his three sons, Cymen, Wencing,
and Cissa, came to Britain in three ships, from which they
landed at a place called Cymenes-ora, and there slew many
of the Britons, and drove the rest into the forest called
Andredes-leage.*

[a.D. 478—484.]

[a.d. 485.] J^Ua, fighting the Britons near Mearcredes-
burnan, that is Mearcrede's Brook, slew numbers of them
and put the rest to flight.

[a.d. 486, 487.]

[a.D. 488.] Hengist, having governed the kingdom of
Kent with the greatest vigour during thirty-four years, ended
his life. His son (Esc succeeded to the throne, and reigned
twenty-four years.

[a.d. 489, 490.]

[a.d. 491.] St. Patrick, Archbishop of Ireland, made a
blessed end, aged one hundred and twenty-two years, ^lla,
with his son Cissa, stormed Andredes-ceaster,^ after a long
siege, and put all the inhabitants to the sword, from the
eldest to the youngest.

[a.d. 492—494.]

[a.d. 495.] This year, two chiefs, namely, Cerdic and his
son Cynric, crossed over to Britain with five ships, and»
landing at a place called Cerdices-ora [Yarmouth ?], fought
the Britons the same day, and having defeated them put
them to flight.

[a.d. 496—500.]

[a.d. 501.] Port, and his two sons Byda and Maegla^
arrived in Britain, with two ships, at a place called Ports-
mouth, and slew a British youth of very high rank, besides
many others.

[a.d 502—507.]

1 Keynor in Selsea, near West WiHering, The forest of Andred,
now the Weald of Sussex and Kent. See Henry of Huntingdon's
Hist, pp. 44, 132, BohVs Anliq. Lib.

2 Pevensey ? Cf. Henry of Huntingdon, p. 45.

A.D. 508 544.] KINGDOM OF WESSEX FOUNDED. S

[.\.D. 508.] Cerdic and his son Cjnric slew Natanleod,
king of the Britons, and five thousand men, with the edge
of the sword ; from that king all the country as far as Cer-
dices-ford^ derived its name of Natanleod.

[A.D. 509—513.]

[ad. 514.] The West-Saxons, sailing to Britain with three
ships, landed at Cerdices-ora. Their chiefs, Stuf and Wihtgar,
were Cerdic's nephews. Shortly afterwards they engaged in
battle with the Britons, some of whom they slew, and put
the rest to flight.

[A.D. 515—518.]

[a.d. 519.] Cerdic and Cynric began to reign [in Wessex],
and the same year they fought and conquered the Britons at
Cerdices-ford.

[a.d. 520.]

[a.d 521.] St. Bridget, the Scottish nun, died in Ireland.

[a.d. 522—526,]

[a.d. 527.] Cerdic and Cynric, for the fourth time, fought
with the Britons at Cerdices-leage.

[a.d. 528, 529.]

[a.d. 530.] Cerdic and Cynric conquered the Isle of
Wight, which they gave to their nephews, Stuf and Wihtgar;
a few men were slain in Wihtgara-birig, [Carisbrook Castle].

[a.d. 531—533.]

[a.d. 5iS4.] Cerdic, the first king of the West-Saxons,
departed this life ; and his son Cynric was, after his death,
sole king for twenty-six years.

[a.d. 535—537.]

[a.d. 538.] There was an eclipse of the sun on the
fourteenth of the calends of March (16th February), from
the first to the third hour.

[a.d. 539.]

[a.d. 540.] There was an eclipse of the sun on the
twelfth of the calends of July, (20th June,) and the stais
were visible about half-an-hour before the third hour of
the day.

[a.d. 541—543.]

[a.d. 544.] Wihtgar, the nephew of Cerdic, king of tho

* CharforJ, in Hampshire.

fi FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 545- -558.

Wcst-Saxons died, and was buried at Wihtgara-birig, that is,
Wihtgar's town.

[a.d. 545, 54C.]

[a.d. 547.] Ida began to rule in the province of the Ber-
nicians, and reigned twelve years. He had six sons born of
his queens, Adda, Balric, Theodric, CEthelric, Theodhere,
and Osmar ; and six by concubines, Occ, Alric, Ecca,
Oswald, Sogor, and Sogether ; from whom descended the
royal line of the Northumbrians. Ida was son of Eoppa,
who was son of Esa, who was son of Ingui, who was son of
Angenwit, who was son of Aloe, who was son of Benoc, who
was son of Brand, who was son of Bealdeag, who was son
of "Woden, who was son of Frithelaf, who was son of
Frithulf, who was son of Finn, who was son of Godulf, who
was son of Geata.

[a.d. 548—551.]

[a.d. 55-2.] Cynric, king of the West-Saxons, fought with
the Britons, and routed them at a place called Seares-byrig :
his father was Cerdic, who was the son of Elesa, who was
son of Esla, who was son of Gewis, vrho was son of Wig, who
was son of Freawine, who was son of Freothegar, who was son
of Brand, who was son of Bealdeag, who was son of Woden.

[a.d. 553—555.]

[a.d. 556.] Cynric and Ceaulin fought a battle against
the Britons at Beran-byrig, and defeated them.

[a.d. 557, 558.] ^lla began to reign in the province of
Dcira, and governed it with the utmost vigour for nearly
thirty years. [Gregory I. observing some English youths
offered for sale in the Forum at Rome, said, in allusion to the
name of this province ; " Alleluiah ! ^ the praise of God the
Creator ought to be sung in those parts."] Meanwhile, when
.^lla was living, the following kings reigned in Bernicia :
Adda, the eldest son of Ida, seven years ; Clappa, five ;
Theodulf, one; Theodulf, seven; and QEthelric, two years.
On Ella's death, and his son Edwin being driven from the
throne, CEthelric reigned five years over both provinces.
^11 a was the son of Iffa, whose father was Wuscfrea, the

^ Not in allusion to the name of the province, but to that of the
liing yEUa. That of the province was played upon differently, " de
ira," &c. Cf. Bede Eccl. Hist. b. ii., c. 1.

^.AD. 5G0 — 584.] WARS WITH THE BRITONS^ Y

son of Wilgils, the son of Westorwalcna, the son of Seomel,
the son of Swearta, the son of Seafugel, the son of Seabald,
the son of Siggeot, the son of Swcbdeag, the son of Siggar,
the son of Weagdeag, the son of Woden.

[a.d. 560] Ceauhn, the son of Cynric, succeeding to the
kingdom of the West-Saxons, reigned thirty-three years.

[a.d. 5G1.] Ethelbert, king of Kent, began to reign, and,
according to Bede, he reigned fifty-six years.

[a.d. 50-2—564.]

[a.d. 565.] Columba, priest and abbot, came out of
Ireland into Britain, and during the reign of Bride, the most
powerful king of the Picts, converted the northern Picts to
the faith of Christ ; in consequence, he received from them a
grant of the island of Hii, for the purpose of building a
monastery.

[a.d. 566—567.]

[a.d. 568.] Ethelbert, king of Kent, while he was engaged
in a war with Ceaulin, king of the West-Saxons, and his
son Cutha, was driven back by them into Kent, his two
ealdormen, Oslaf and Cnebba, being slain at Wibbandune
[Wimbledon].

[a.d. 569—570.]

[a.d. 571.] Cuthulf, the brother of king Ceaulin, fought
with the Britons at Bedford, and gaining the victory took
from them four royal vills, namely, Liganburh, [Leighton or
Lenbury,] Eglesburh, [Aylesbury,] Bensingtun, [Benson,]
and Egnesham, [Eynsham,] and he died the same year.

[a.d. 572 — 576.]

[a.d. 577.] Ceaulin, king of the West-Saxons, and his
son Cuthwine fought with the Britons at a place called
Deorham, ' and slaying their three kings, Coinmcail, Con-
didan, and Farinmccil, with many of their people, took their
three cities, Gloucester, Cirencester, and Bath.

[a.d. 578—583.]

[a.d. 584.] Ceaulin, king of the West-Saxons, and his
son Cutha, fought with the Britons at a place called Fethan-
leah,'^ in which battle Cutha fell, fighting bravely where

* Dirham, in Gloucestershire.

2 Fretlierne, Gloucestershire. Cf. Henry of Huntingdon (b. iv.) for
a more circumstantial account of this hattle.

8 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 585 — 597.

the throng was thickest. Notwithstanding this, Ceaulin
gained the victory, and taking much booty, seized on many
of their vills.

[a.d. 585—587.]

[a.d. 588.] -^lla, king of Deira, died in the thirtieth
year of his reign, and after him QEthelric, the son of Ida,
reigned five years over both provinces.

[a.d. 589.] The holy father Columban came to Burgundy
from Ireland, the island of saints, with St. Gall, and other
tried disciples, and there, by permission of king Theodoric,
built the monastery of Luxeuil. Driven thence by Brunhilde,
he went to Germany, where he left St. Gall, but he himself
crossed into Italy, where he founded the monastery of Bobbio,
and became the parent of many convents of monks.

[a.d. 590.]

[a.d. 591.] Ceol, the son of Cuthwulf, brother of king
Ceaulin, began to reign, and he reigned over the West-Saxons
live years.

[a.d. 592.] A battle was fought at a place called Wodnes-
beorh, [Wansborough ?] that is, Woden's Mount, in which
there was a great slaughter, and Ceaulin was driven from
his kingdom in the thirty-third year of his reign.

[a.d. 593.] Ceaulin, Cwichelm, and Crida perished.
OEihelric, king of Northumbria died; upon which his son
Qilthelfrith assumed the reins of government and held them
twenty-four years. He had seven sons, Eanfrith, Oswald,
Oslaf, Oswin, Oswy, Offa, Oswudu, and Oslac, with one
daughter named CEbbe.

[a.d. 594, 595.]

[a.d. 596.] In the 147th year after the arrival of the
English in Britain, the 14th indiction, pope Gregory, by
divine inspiration, sent Augustine the servant of God, with
several other devout monks in his company, to preach the
word of God to the English nation.

[a.d. 597.] According to Bede, the aforesaid teachers
arrived in Britain this year, and converted Ethelbert, king of
Kent, to the faith of Christ in the thirty-fifth year of his
reign. The king did not long defer the grant of an episcopal
see to his teacher Augustine, in his metropolis of Canterbury,
and, with royal assistance, he restored a church which had

A.D. 598-004.] CEOLWULF, KING OF WESSEX. 9

been formerly erected there by the exertions of the faithful
among the Romans, and consecrated under the name St.
Saviour's. Ceolwulf, son of Cutha, king Ceaulin's brother,
succeeding to the kingdom of the West-Saxons, governed it
fourteen years ; during which he was continually engaged in
wars, either with the Angles or the Britons, the Scots or the
Picts. Ceolwulf was the son of Cutha, who was son of
Cynric, son of Cerdic.

[A.D. 598, 599.]

[a.d. 600.] St. Ive the apostolical doctor, and a really
inspired messenger from heaven and eminent bishop, de-
parted to the Lord. His origin was in Persia, where he
rose like the star in the east, but his course was divinely
directed to the western regions in Britain.

[a.d. 601.] Gregory writing to Augustine, in the nine-
teenth year of Maurice, the fourth indiction, decreed that
the bishops of London and York, receiving the pallium
from the apostolical see, should be metropolitans in the same
manner [as the archbishops of Canterbury].

[a.d. 002.]

[a.d. 003.] Ethelfrith, a king of great bravery and am-
bitious of renown, crushed the Britons more than any of the
English chiefs who preceded him ; and exterminating or
subjugating the native inhabitants, he either settled vast
tracts of their territories with people of English race, or
made the Britons tributaries to them. Roused by these
proceedings, Aedan, king of the Scots, marched against him
at the head of a vast army, but being defeated, few only
accompanied his flight. Ethelfrith gained this battle at a
place called Degsastan [Dalston?], in the eleventh year of
his reign, and the first of the emperor Phocas. Assembling
an army, a long time afterwards, at Chester, which the
Britons call Carlegion, in execution of Divine justice, and as
St. Augustine, the archbishop, had predicted,* he first slew
twelve hundred British priests, who had joined the army to
offer prayers on their behalf, and then exterminated the re-
mainder of this impious armament.

[a.d. 004.] Augustine consecrated Mellitus and Justus

» Eccles. Hist, ii. 2. Cf. Sax. Chron., a.d. 007.

10 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 605 — 616

bishops : of whom Mellitus was to preach in the province of
the East-Saxons, who having received the word of truth
from his instructions, with their king Sebert, king^Ethel-
bort's nephew, Ethelbert, himself, erected the church of St.
Paul the apostle, in London, Sebert's metropolis. Justus
was consecrated by Augustine, as bishop of Rochester, which
the English call Hroveceaster. Having also consecrated the
priest Lawrence as archbishop, to supply his own place,
Augustine shortly afterwards, on Tuesday the seventh of the
calends of June (26th May), was translated to the heavenly
kingdom.

[a.D. 605.] Pope St. Gregory, the apostle of the English,
and the honour of Rome, after having most gloriously
governed the see of the Roman and apostolic church for
thirteen years, six months, and ten days, was translated to
an eternal seat in the kingdom of heaven, on Friday the
fourth of the ides (the 12th) of March.

[ad. 606.]

[a.D. 607.] Ceolwulf, king of the West-Saxons, made
war against the East-Saxons.

[a.D. 608—610.]

[a.D. 611.] King Ceolwulf died, and was succeeded by
Cynegils, his brother Ceol's son. He reigned thirty- two
years, being son of Ceol, who was son of Cutha, son of
Cynric, son of Cerdic.

[a.d. 6.12, 613.]

[a.D. 614.] Cynegils and his son Cuichelm, marched an
army against the Britons at Beandune [Bampton?], and
engaging them in battle slew two thousand and forty-six of
their number.

[a.D. 615.]

[a.D. 616.] Ethelbert, king of Kent, who was son of
Irmenric, whose father was Octa, the son of Oric, surnamed
Gisc, who was son of Hengist, ascended to the realms of
heavenly bliss, on the twenty-fourth of February, in the
fifty-sixth year of his reign, being the twent3^-first after he
was converted to the faith. His son Eadbald succeeding
him not only refused to embrace Christianity, but took to
wife the widow of his father. Redwald, king of the East-
Angles, slew Ethelfrith, king of Deira and Bernicia in a

A.D. 617— G25.] ANGLO-SAXON BISHOPS. 11

battle fought near the river Idle.* Edwin succeeded him,
according to a prediction he had received, and expelled the
seven sons 'of Ethel frith. Sebert, king of the East-Saxons,
being removed to the heavenly kingdom, left his three sons,
who persi«fted in heathenism, heirs of his kingdom in this
world. They immediately made open profession of idolatry,
and drove Mellitus, bishop of London, out of their territory.
Mellitus retired into Kent, and after consulting Lawrence, the
archbishop, withdrew into Gaul, accompanied by Justus,
bishop of Rochester. However, the kings who had driven
from their presence the herald of truth, were not long per-
mitted to devote themselves to the worship of demons ; for
having engaged in an expedition against the Gewissae, they
all fell in a battle, as well as their troops. Lawrence being
on the point of following Mellitus and Justus in their
secession, that very night, Peter, prince of the Apostles,
appeared to him and severely scourged him. In the morning,
he repaired to king Eadbald, and exhibited to him the
extent of the lacerations the stripes had made. On seeing
this, the king was much terrified, and prohibiting all ido-
latrous worship under the penalty of a curse,' and repudi-
ating his incestuous marriage, embraced the Christian faith,
and, sending to France, recalled Mellitus and Justus.

[a.d. 617—620.]

A.D. 621.] St. Lawrence, archbishop, departed to the
Lord, during the reign of Eadbald, on the fourth of the
nones (the 2nd) of February. He was succeeded.by Mellitus,
the bishop of London, who became the third archbishop of
Canterbury from Augustine. Cedd, the brother of Ceadda,
succeeded Mellitus in the see of London.^

[a.d. 522—624.]

[a.d. 625.] Mellitus, the archbishop, having governed the
church five years, died on the eighth of the calends of May
(24th April), in the reign of Eadbald. He was succeeded

* Near Retford, in Nottinghamshire. Cf. Henry of Huntingdon,
b. iii. and Bede's Eccl. Hist. b. 12, who place this battle in 620; the
Sax. Cliroii. R. Wendovcr in the Fiores Ilist. in (517. For tlie "oracle"
here alhided to, see the romantic legend of Edwine in Bede, b.ii., c. 12

2 The date should have been ClU. Cf. Bode's Eccl. Hist., ii. 7, and
the Saxon Chron.

X2 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 626 — 628.

Ly Justus, bishop of Rochester, who consecrated Romanus
bishop in his stead.^

[a.D. 6*^6.] PaiiHnus, a man beloved by God, who had
been sent by St. Gregory with the rest to preach in England,
and in course of time became the third bishop of Rochester,
having been consecrated by Justus to become archbishop of
the Northumbrian people, was sent to Edwin, king of that
nation, in attendance on his bride, king Ethelbert's daughter,
by king Eadbald the maiden's brother.

" [a.D. 627.] An assassin named Eomer, sent by Cuichelm
king of the West-Saxons, presented himself at the court of
king Ed\nn on Easter Sunday, and drawing a dagger from
under his garment attempted to stab the king. The blow
was intercepted by Lilla, one of Edwin's most devoted
attendants, who protected him by interposing his own
person, but the assassin plunged his weapon with such force
that the king was wounded through the body of his thane,
who was killed on the spot. On the night of the same
Easter-day the queen bore Edwin a daughter, who was the
first of the Northumbrian race baptised by bishop Paulinus,
and received the name of Eanfled.

Penda succeeded to the kingdom of Mercia in the fiftieth
year of his age, and governed it thirty years. He was the
son of Wibba, the son of Crida, the son of Cynewald, the
son of Cnebba, the son of Icel, the son of Gomer, the son of
Angengeat, the son of Offa, the son of Wermund, the son
of Wightleag, the son of Waga, the son of Wothelgeat, the
son of Woden.

[a.D. 628.] In the sixteenth year of the emperor Herac-
lius, the fifteenth induction, Edwin the most illustrious king
of the English in Britain, who reigned over the nation to
the north of the Humber, received with his people the word
of salvation at the preaching of Paulinus, the bishop sent
from Kent by archbishop Justus. This occurred in the
eleventh year of his reign, and about two hundred and thirty
years,^ more or less, after the English tribes arrived in
Britain. The king himself founded the episcopal see of

1 The date should be 624, and the mission of Paulinus 625, ib. c. 9.

2 It should be 180 ; Cf. Bede's Eccl. Hist. b. ii. c. 14.

A.D. C29-G34.] EDWIN, KING OF NORTHUMBRIA. 13

York in favour of Paulinus. His temporal power increased
in token of his embracing the faith and inheriting the
heavenly kingdom, as he, first of the English princes, reduced
the whole of Britain, except Kent, under his dominion.

At this time, pope Honorius wrote a letter confuting the
error of the Quarto-decimans respecting the observance of
Easter, which had originated among the Scots ; John also,
who succeeded Severinus' successor, disputed the same matter
with them. For, before he was elected pope, he wrote to
them on this Easter question, as well as concerning the
Pelagian heresy, which had revived among them.

Cynegils, and his son Cuichelm, the kings of the West-
Saxons, fought a battle near Cirencester, with Penda king of
the Mercians, and, peace being made and ratified, withdrew
their troops.

[a.d. 629—631.]

[a.d. 632.] Eorpwald, son of king Redwald, son of
Tytel, son of Uffa, by the persuasion of king Edwin,
abandoned his idolatrous superstition, and embraced the
Christian faith and sacraments with all his people ; but he
was slain by a pagan named Ricbert.

[a.d. 633.] The illustrious king Edwin, having glori-
ously reigned seventeen years over both nations, Britons as
well as English, was killed on the fourth of the ides (the
12th) of October, in the forty-eighth year of his age, by
Penda, the heathen king of Mercia, a prince of distin-
guished bravery, and Cedwal king of the Britons, a still
more savage heathen, in a pitched battle severely contested
on the plain of Heathfield. Affairs in Northumbria being
thus thrown into confusion, Paulinus, taking with him queen
Ethelburga, returned to Kent by sea, and was received with
honour by Honorius the archbishop and Eadbald the king.

[a.d. 631.] Cedwal, king of the Britons, having first
slain king Osric, king Edwin's cousin, with all his army, after-
wards put to death Eanfrith, son of king Ethelfrith, who had
come to him to sue for peace. On his death, his brother
Oswald advanced with his army, which, though small in
numbers, was strong in the faith of Christ, and slaughtered
the impious British chief with his immense army, which he
boasted nothing could withstand. Oswald then assumed the

J^4 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 635, 636.

govornmont of both kingdoms, and, in the course of time,
received the submission of all the nations and provinces of
Britain. At that time the people of Wessex, under their
king Cynegils, embraced the Christian faith, the word being
preached to them by bishop Birinus. St. Wilfrid was born.

[a.D. C35.] King Oswald applied to the elders of the
Scots to send him bishops. Aidan was sent ; by whom, and
the most illustrious and holy king Oswald himself, the church
of Christ was first founded and established in the province
of Bernicia. Birinus was sent by pope Honorius to preach
in England, and under his teaching of the gospel in Wessex,
king Cynegils and his subjects became believers ; the most
victorious king Oswald was his sponsor at the baptismal font.
From these kings the same bishop received Dorchester for
the seat of his bishopric.

[a.D. 636.] Sigebert, brother of Eorpwald, king of the
East-Angles, a prince in all respects most Christian and most
learned, early in his reign took measures for causing his
whole province to partake of the faith and sacraments.
Bishop Felix, a native of Burgundy, who had become very
intimate with Sigebert, king of the East-Angles, while he
was an exile in France, encouraged his designs, and accom-
panying him to England after Eorpvvald's death, was ap-
pointed by him bishop of the East-Angles, and having
converted that province to the faith of Christ, and procured
an episcopal see to be founded in the city of Dunwich, pre-
sided for seventeen years over that nation.

At that time a most holy man, named Fursey, came from
Ireland to East-Anglia, and being received with honour by
the aforesaid king, preached there the word of life, and con-
verting many of the unbelievers to Christ, afterwards built a
noble monastery. Meanwhile, the king having given up the
administration of affairs, and entrusted them to his cousin
Ecgric, retired to the monastery he had founded, and receiv-
ing the tonsure, was for a long time enlisted in the service
of the King Eternal. But when Penda, the heathen kmg
of Mercia, made war against the East-Angles, he was drawn
from the convent against his will, and, being reluctantly led
to battle with only a staff in his hand, he was slain as well
as king Ecgrig. Anna, son of Eni succeeded to the throne.

^ D. G37 — G45.] ANGLO-SAXON KINGS. 15

Cuichelm, the son of king Cynegils, was baptised by bisbop
liirinus, in tlie city of Dorchester, and died the same year.

[a.d. 637, 638.]

[a.d. 639.] Bishop Birinus baptised Ciithred, the son of
king Cuichelm, in the city of Dorchester, and received him
from the font of regeneration.

[a.d. 640 ] Eadbald, king of Kent, departed this Ufe in
the twenty-fifth year of his reign, leaving the government of
his kingdom to his son Erconberht. He was the first of the
English kings who ordered the idols to be forsaken and de-
stroyed throughout his whole kingdom, and at the same time
he commanded the fast of forty days to be observed. His
daughter, Ercongote, by his queen St. Sexburg, was a virgin
endowed with sublime virtues.

[a.d. 641.]

[a.d. 64'2.] The most Christian king Oswald, the nephew
of king Edwin, and son of king Ethelfrith, a prince who was
always humble, gracious, and liberal to pilgrims and the
poor, was slain in the thirty-eighth year of his age, and the
ninth of his reign, by Penda, the heathen king of Mercia, in
a great battle fought at a place called Maserfeld.

[a.d. 643.] His brother Oswy, a young man about thirty
years of age, shortly afterwards succeeded to his kingdom,
and maintained himself in it by incessant struggles for
twenty-eight years. Cenwalch, son of Cynegils, succeeded
the same vear to the kinf^dom of Wessex, which he held
twenty-one years. He built the church at Winchester, in
which is the bishop's seat.

[a.d. 644.] Paulinus, formerly bishop of York, but then
of Rochester, departed to the Lord on the sixth of the ides
(the lOtli) of October. He had been a bishop eighteen years,
two months, and twenty-one days. Honorius, the archbishop,
the successor of Justus, ordained Ithamar bishop of Rochester
in the place of Paulinus.

[a.d. 645.] Cenwalch, king of Wessex, being attacked
by Penda, king of the Mercians, for having divorced his sister,
was dethroned, and took refuge with Anna, king of East-
Anglia. Likewise this same year king Oswin, son of Osric,
cousin-gcrman to Edwin, — a prince of graceful aspect, tall in
stature, courteous and affable, of gentle manners, liberal to

IG FLOREN'CE OF WORCESTER. A.D. 646 — 653.

all, the humblest of kings, and generally beloved— began to
reign in the province of Deira, and governed it seven years.

[a.d. 046.] King Cenwalch was baptised in East-Anglia,
by Bishop Felix.

[a.d. 647.] Felix, the first bishop of the East-Angles
died ; in whose place archbishop Honorius consecrated his
deacon, Thomas; who also departing this life, after being
bishop five years, was succeeded by Boniface.

[a.d. 648.] King Cenwalch returned from East-Anglia to
Wessex, and the same year made a large grant of lands to his
nephew Cuthred, son of king Cuichelm.

[a.d. 649.]

[a.d. 650.] Bishop Egilbert, a native of France, was
appointed to the see of Wessex by king Cenwalch, after the
death of Birinus, and exercised episcopal authority in that
province for many years.

[a.d. 651.] St. Cuthbert entered the monastery of Mail-
rose, being admitted by Eata, the most reverend abbot of
that church. Oswin king of Deira, a man of the deepest
humility and eminent piety, was slain in a detestable manner
on the thirteenth of the calends of September ((30th August),
at the command of king Oswy, by his ealdorman Ethelwin ;
having been treacherously betrayed by earl Hunwald, in
whom he confided as a devoted friend. He was succeeded
by Ethel wold, son of king Oswald. After the murder of
king Oswin, bishop Aidan departed to the realms of bliss on
the second of the calends of September (August 31st).
Cuthbert, an excellent young man, beheld his soul carried to
heaven by angels. Finan was raised to the bishopric in his
place, being consecrated and sent by the Scots.

[a.d. 652.]

[a.d. 653.J Benedict, surnamed Biscop, a thane of king
Oswin, and an Englishman of noble birth, quitted his
home and kindred, his possessions and native country, for
the love of Christ, at the age of twenty-five years, and be-
taking himself to Rome, came back advanced in learning.
Honorius, archbishop of Canterbury, departed this life on
the second of the calends of October (30th September). He
was succeeded in the see, at the expiration of a year and six
months, by Deusdedit the sixth archbishop from Augustine,

A.D. 65;3 G.).5.] CONVERSION OP TITK MID-ANGLES. I 7

and liaviiig been consecrated by Itbumar bishop of liocbestcr,
on the seventh of the calends of April [*>J(Jth March], he
governed ln"s church nine y<^ars, four months, and two
days.

The Mid- Angles, under their prince Peada, son of Penda
king of j\rercia, received the Christian faith and sacraments,
the prince himself being first baptized, with all his attend-
ants, by bishop Finan, at tlie court of Oswy king of North-
umbria. Afterwards, on his return home, the rest of his
people were baptized by four priests, Cedd, Adda, l^etti, and
Diuma, who accompanied him from Northumbria. At that
time Sigebert, king of the P^ast-Angles, who succeeded Sebert,
sumamed the Little, having embraced the faith of Christ on
the exhortation of king Oswy while on a visit to him, was
baptized by Finan, the bishop of the Northumbrians ; and
on his return to his own seat of government, king Oswy sent
with him Cedd the priest, a man of God, to preach the Word
to the East-Saxons. Having gathered a numerous church
for the Lord, he went home to confer with bishop Finan,
and receiving from him the episcopal dignity, on his return
to the province he completed with greater authority the work
he had commenced. On one occasion, when he revisited
the province of Northumbria, for the purpose of exhortation,
Ethelwald king of Deira, king Oswald's son, requested him to
accept a grant of land whereon he might build a monastery.
In compliance with the royal will he selected a site for it
at a place now called Leastingaig, and having erected the
monastery, established in it the rules of a religious life.
iSIeanwhile, at the instigation of the foe to all good men,
Sigebert was slain by his own neighbours, because it was too
much his practice to pardon his enemies, and forgive, with
a gentle spirit, on their mere petition, the injuries he had
received from them. Swithelm, the son of Sexbald, succeeded
to his throne.

[a.d. r)54.] Anna, king of the East-Angles, was slain by
king Penda, and succeeded by his brother Ethelhere. A
monastery was built by St. Botulph, at a place called
Ikanhoe.

[a.d. 055.] Penda, the perfidious king of Mcrcia, who
had slain Sigebert, Ecgrig, and Anna, kings of the I'^ast-
Angles, as well as Edwin and Oswald, kings of the North-

c

18 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 656, 657.

iimbrians. having mustered thirty legions, with as many
noble thanes, advanced northward into Bernicia, to wage a
war of cou<iuest against king Oswy. That king, with his
son Alfrid. trusting in Christ as their leader, although they
had only one legion, met the enemy at a place called Win-
widfeld.' Battle being joined, the Pagans were routed and
cut to pieces, nearly all the thirty kings thanes who marched
under liis banner being slain. Among them fell Ethelhere,
brother and successor of Anna Idng of the East- Angles, the
promoter of the war. His brother Ethelwald succeeded to
his kingdom. Then king Oswy, in acknowledgment of the
victor}' vouchsafed to him, devoted to God twelve estates for
huilding monasteries, together with his daughter Eltleda to
be consecrated as a nun, and accordingly she entered the
monastery of Heortesig, of which Hilda was then abbess.
This battle was fought by king Oswy, in the neighbourhood of
Leeds, in the thirteenth year of his reign, and on the seven-
teenth of the calends of December [15tli Koveml.ier], and he
converted the nation of the Mercians to the faith of Christ.
By his care, Diuma, already mentioned, was the first who
was made bishop of the province of Mercia. and of the people
of Lindisfarne and Middle- Anglia ; the second was CeoUan,
a Scotchman by birth. This king reigned three years over
the Mercians and the other 2:>eople of the southern provinces.
He compelled the Pictish nation to submit to the dominion
of the English ; and made Peada his cousin, son of king
Penda, king of the Southern Mercians.

[a.D. 056.] King Peada was most foully murdered,
through the treacheiT of his wife, at the very time when the
feast of Easter was celebrating?.

[a.D. 657.] Cenwalch, king of Wessex, fought with the
Britons, and drove them as far as the Parret. The abbess
St. Hilda began to build a monastery at a place called
Streoneshealh, in which king Oswys daughter was a nun in
the earlier part of her life, and afterwards became abbess.
Her mother, queen Eanfleda, built a monastery, which is
called In-Gethng, on the spot where king Oswine, the son of
her father's cousin, king Osric, was unrighteously slain, and

* •* The river Winwfsd, near which this battle was fought, is, accord-
ing to Camden, the Are, which runs near Leeds." — Thorpe.

A.D. 0.39 — 60^.] OSWY — AVULFIIERE, 1\)

appointeil Trunihere, a man of God, who was kinsman to
the nmrtlered king, ahbot.

[a.d. O'iO,] Immin, Kaba, and Eadberlit, ealdormen of
IVIcrcia, rebelled against king Oswj, raising to the throne
Wulfliere, the son of Penda, who having been saved in con-
cealment, was now coming to years of puberty; and thus,
with their king, they enjoyed the liberty of professing
Christianity. This king's first bishop was Trunihere,
already named ; the second was Jaruman ; the third Cedd ;
and the fourth Winfrid.

[a.d. 000.] King Cenwalch divided the West-Saxon
province into two dioceses, and made the city of Winchester
bishop AVine's episcopal seat ; in consequence of which
bishop Agilbcrt was so much offended that ho retired to
France, and accepted the bishoj)ric of Paris King Ecgfrith,
son of king Oswy, married Etheldritha, the daughter of
Anna, king of the East-Angles.

[a.d. (>01.] Cuthrod, son of king Cuichelm, to wit, grand-
son of king Cyncgils and cousin-german of the kings Cenwalch
and Centwin, together with the tributary-king Conbriht, who
was great-grandson of king Ceauhn, and king Cedwal's father,
(hed this year. Wulfliere, king of the Mercians, first ravaged
Asccsdun, and then took possession of the Isle of Wiglit,
which he gave to his godson Ethelwold, king of the South-
Saxons, together with the district of Meanvara in Wesscx.
Finan, bishop of the Northumbrians, died, and was suc-
ceeded by Colman, who was also sent from Scotland.

[a.d. nO'2, oe;5.]

[a.d. 004.] In the thirtieth year after Scotch bishops
were estabhslied in Northumbria, and the twenty-second of
the reign of king Oswy, questions having been raised in that
l)rovinco respecting Easter, the tonsure, and other ecclesi-
astical aifairs, it was settled that a synod should be held at
the monastery of Strconcshcalh, where Hilda was then
abbess. It was attended by the kings Oswy and his son
Alfrid, who had succeeded to the kingdom of king Etliel-
wald, king Oswald's son; as also by bisliop Colman and his
clergy, Agilbert bishop of the West-Saxons, with the priests
Agatho and Wilfrid, Cedd bishop of the East-Saxons, and
the abbess Hilda, with her officials. After much debate, at
last, both the superiors and their subordinates agreed to

c2

20 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.I). G64.

rcliiKiui.sli (lie iiualiil usages of the Scotch, and hastened to
adopt tliose ^vhich they liad ascertained to be better. Tlio
controversy bemg conckided, and the questions solved, Agil-
bort went home, and Cedd, giving up the traditions of the
Scots, returned to his own diocese. Colman, silenced by the
unanimous resolution of the Catholics, rejoined his adherents
in Scotland, and on his witlidrawing to his own country,
Tuda was appointed bishop of the Northumbrians in his stead;
but he ruled the church only for a short time. Eata, a most
re\eren(l man, who was abbot of Mailrose, and before that had
founded the monastery of Ripon at king Alfred's request, w^as
set over the brethren of Lindisfarne, and removed St. Cuth-
bert from Mailrose to the island of Lindisfarne.

The same year, tliere was an eclipse of the sun on the 3rd
of May, at about the tenth hour. It w\as quickly followed
by a j)estilence which snatched from the world Tuda, the
priest of the Lord. The king, by the advice and with the
concurrence of his father, king Oswy, sent the venerable
fatlier Wilfrid, abbot of Ripon, to the king of the Franks,
requesting that he might be ordained bishop, he being then
about thirty years old. Thereupon the king sent him for
consecration to Agilbert, who having withdrawn from Britain
was made bishop of Paris, and, assisted by eleven other
bishops, performed the office with great, ceremony. Deus-
dedit, tlie sixth archbishop from Augustine, died on the
second of the ides [the 14th] of July. Erconbert also, king
of Kent, died the same year, and his son Egbert ascended
tlie throne. Ceadda, that holy man, who was brother of
Cedd, bishop and saint, and abbot of the monastery of Least-
ingaig, on the command of king Oswy, was consecrated
bishop of York, by Wine, bishop of Winchester, as Wilfrid
was still an exile in foreign parts. Ethelburga, the mother of
the convent of Barking, a woman beloved by Grod, and the
first al)])ess of that monasterv, was released from the prison of
tlie flesh on the fifth of the ides [the 11th] of October. She
was sister of Erconwald, a man of admirable sanctity, after-
w^ards bishop of London ; her life w^as such that no one who
knew her could doubt that on her departure from this life the
gates of the heavenly kingdom were opened to her. She was
succeeded in the office of abbess by a nun beloved of God,
whose name was Hildelith. Shortly afterwards, Cedd, bisliop

A.D. G05 — GOT.] ETIIELWALD — EGBEUT. L' 1

of the East-Saxons, wont to liis monastery of Least ini^'aig,
where lie fell siek and died on the seventh of the calends of
November [2Gth October]. Ethelwald, king of the East-
Angles, having died, he was succeeded by Aldulf, whose
mother was Hereswitha, sister of 8t. Hilda, the abbess ; their
father was Hererie, son of Eadfrith, son of Edwine. Boisihis,
a monk of sublime virtues, superior of the monastery of Mail-
rose, a man ins])ired with the spirit of prophecy, and a priest
beloved of God, haNing been struck by a mortal disease, was
exalted to the joys of eternal light. Sighere, king of the
East-Saxons, with his part of the peo])le, apostatized from
the taith, which coming to the ears of Wulfhere, king of the
IMercians, he sent bishop Jaruman, Trumhere's successor, to
correct the error. However, Sebbi, who shared the throne, as
co-heir with him, preserved the faith he had embraced, with
all the population subject to him.

[a.d. QGo.'] Benedict, surnamed Biscop, went to Rome,
for the second time, when Yitalian was pope, and a few
months afterwards retired to the island of Lerins.^ Devotinir
himself to the monks, he received the tonsure, and for two
years served God, under the abbot's rule, according to the
regular discipline.

[a.d. 666.] St. Aldhelm was ordained abbot of Malmesbury
in the church of SS, Peter and Paul by Eleutherius, the
fourth bishop of the West-Saxons. Wina, bishop of Win-
chester, being driven from his see by king Cenwalch, repaired
to Wulfhere, king of the Mercians, and receiving from him the
see of London, remained bishop of that city for the rest of his
life.

[a.d. 667.] The most illustrious English kings, Oswy, of
the province of Northuml)ria, and Egbert, of Kent, with the
consent of the holy church of the English nation, sent to
Rome, for consecration to the office of bisho]), a priest named
Wihard, one of the clerks of archbishop Deusdedit. But
although he reached Rome, he was snatched away by death
before he could be consecrated. Ceadda, bishop of York,
governed the church gloriously for three years ; he then

* The island of Lerins, off the coast of Provence, in the diocese of
Antibes, on which was a celebrated monastery and school founded at
the end of the fourth centui'y by St. Honoratus. See Gallia Christiana,
t. iii. p. 1180.

22 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 668 — 671.

rotli'od to the su])crinten(lenco of his monastery at Leastingaig,
and WiltVid took npon himself the episcopal charge of the
entire ])rovinre of Northnmbria.

[a.D. 608.] Biseop, called also Benedict, visited Rome for
the third time. There was then at Rome a monk named
Theodore, a native of Tai'sus, in Silicia, a man Avell versed
both in secular and ecclesiastical learning, master both of
(ireek and Latin, of unblemished life, and sixty-six years of
ai?e. Po])e Vitalian having consecrated him archbishop, on
Sunday, the seventh of the calends of April [26th March],
commiUed him to the care of Biseop, as he Avas a prudent and
spirited man, to he conducted to Britain, in company Avith
al>bot Adrian.

[a.D. 669.] Archbishop Theodore arrived in Kent on
Sunday, the sixth of the calends of June [27th May], and
entrusted the government of the monastery of St. Peter the
apostle to Benedict, also called Bisco]), with the office of
abbot. Soon afterwards he made a progress through the
island, consecrating bishops in suitable jjlaces, and com-
pleted the consecration of Ceadda by new rites after the
catholic form. In the city of Rochester, also, Avhere there
had been no bishop since the death of Damianus, he ordained
Putta, a man skilled in ecclesiastical discipline ; and not long-
afterwards, on the death of Jaruman, at the request of king
Wulfhere, and with the concurrence of king Oswy, he enjoined
Ceadda to take charge of the united sees of Mercia and Lin-
disfarne. Ceadda obeyed the injunction, and employed him-
self in the ministry he had accepted, with great purity of life.
King Wulfhere granted him fifty hides of land for the purpose
of building a monastery at a place called At-Bearuwe.

[a.D. 670.] Oswy, king of the Northumbrians, falling
sick, died on the fifteenth of the calends of March [15th Feb.],
in the fifty-eighth year of his age, leaving his son Egfrid as
successor to his khigdom. King Cenwalch and the West-
Saxons requested Theodore, archbishop of Canterbury, to
consecrate as their bishop, Eleutherius, nephew of Agilbert,
bishop of Paris, and having been consecrated accordingly at
Winchester, he administered the united diocese seven years.

[a.D. 671.] There was a pest among birds, Avhich destroyed
vast numlx>rs. The venerable abbot Benedict, also called
Biseop, having presided over the monastery of St. Peter the

A.D. C72, C73.] CENWALCH — HLOTIIERE. 23

a])ostlo two yeai's, tilling tlio office of abbot, wont from
IJrltain to Rome for tlio third time, by leave of archbishoj)
Tlieo(l(^re. lie was siieeeeded in the i>;<)vennnent of the eoji-
vent l>v a])b()t Adrian, whom we havo before mentioneil, ;ui
African by birth, well read in the sacred writini^s, and an apt
scholar both in Greek and Latin.

[a.I). G7-.] Cenwalch, king of the West-Saxons, died in
the thirtieth year of his reign ; his Cjiieen Sexburga, acconl-
ing to the English chronicle,* reigned after him one year,
but according to Bede,^ tributary-kings di\ided his king-
dom and ruled it about ten years. Etheldritha, queen of tlie
Noitluuubrians, used long importunities -with king Egfiid
for leave to release herself from worldly cares and do tlu^
service of the Lord Christ in a monastery ; andhaNing at last,
with no little ditticidty, succeeded, she entered the monastery
of St. Ebba, the abbess, who was sister of the kings, SS.
Oswald and Oswy, and aunt of king Egfj'id, recei\ ing the
nun*s veil from the hands of bishop Wilfrid. After bishoj)
Ceadda had gloriously rided the church in the province of
Mercia for two years and a half, he became \ery iniirm, and
being ]>rcpared for his end by partaking of tlie body an<l blood
of our Lord, he went to eternal bliss on the sixth of the nones
[the 2nd] of March. As he was departing out of this world,
the most reverend father Egbert, who had been his fellow-
scholar in Ireland, saw the s])irit of St. Chad, the bishop,
Ceadda's brother, with an host of angels, descend fi'om heaven
and bear it upwards with them on their return to the realms
of bliss. His deacon, Winfrid, was consecrated by Theodore,
and became the successor of his master, the bisho]).' Benedict
Biscop I'eturned from Home, and on his landing in Britain he
betook himself to his own people and native soil. Egfrid
king of the nations beyond the Ilumbor, whose court he
visited, immediately granted him a domain containing se\entv
families that he might ])uild a monastery at the mouth of the
river Wear.

[a.d. 073.] Egbert king of Kent died In the month of Julv
and the ninth year of his reign ; he was succeeded by his
brother Hlothere, who reigned eleven years and seven months.

' Saxon Chronicle, p. 3vjn {.liifiq. Lib.).
3 StthregiUi. ^ JiedeVj Eccl. Hist. ib. j>. 11)1.

24 FLORENCE OF WOKCESTEK. [a.D. 674, 675.

Tlioodoro, nrchbishop of Canterbury, convened an episcopal
synod at a i>laee called Hertford, in which Wilfrid, bishop of the
Northumbrians, was represented by his own legates. There
were present at this synod, Putta, bishop of ^ Rochester,
Eleutlierius, bishop of the East-Saxons, and Winfrid, bishop of
the Mercians ; to whom must be added Bisi, bishop of the
East-Angles, the successor of Boniface already mentioned.
He was a very holy and devout man, and had been consecrated
by Theodore a short time before the synod ; and^ being
afterwards prevented by severe infirmities from performing the
duties of his office, two bishops, iEcci and Badwine, w^ere
ordained in his lifetime to act for him. St. Etheldritha was
made abbess in the district called Elge (Ely), where, having
built a monastery for nuns, this virgin became mother in the
heavenly life both by her example and precepts.

[a.D. 674.] According to the English chronicle, Escwine
succeeded this year to the kingdom of Wessex. He was the
son of Cenfus, who was son of Cenferth, who was son of
Cuthgils, who was son of Ceolwulf, who was son of Cynric,
who was son of Cerdic. (Ireland, the island of saints,
was gloriously filled with holy men and wonderful works.)

Biscop (built a monastery) at the mouth of the river

Wear, in the second indiction.

[a.D. 675.] Wulfhere, king of Mercia, and Escwine, king
of Wessex, fought a battle at a place called Beadenhead.
The same year, being the seventeenth of his reign, king
Wulfhere himself w^nt to heaven. He was the first of the
Mercian kings who received the faith and the Avashing of
holy regeneration ; and abolishing, and utterly rooting out the
worship of idols among all his people, he caused the name of
Christ to be published throughout his dominions, and built
churches in many places. His queen, St. Ermengilda, was the
daughter of Erconbert, king of Kent, and his queen, St.
Sexburga, the daughter of Anna, king of the East-Angles, and
sister of St. Etheldritha. St. Werburga, Wulfhere's daughter
by Emiengild, a virgin of exemplary virtues, after her father's
death, renounced the world, and resolving to take the habit of a
nun, entered the monastery of her mother's aunt, St. Etheldritha,
where by God's help she wrought many miracles. Her uncle,
king Ethelred, hearing reports of her sanctity, appointed
her to preside over several monasteries of virgins devoted to

A.D. 07«3.] ST. WERBURGA — ERCONWALD. 25

God, witli tlie rank of al)boss, livincf in and anions: which
according to monastic rules, and attectionately eonsuhin<^ their
vrood in all thinccs, she combated in the service of Christ her
King to the end of her life ; and dying in one of her monas-
teries called Trentham, the beatified virghi was esi)Oused and
taken to her lieavenly bridegroom. Her cori)se was carried
to the monastery at Hanbury, as she had directed in her life-
time, and being interred with great honour, remained without
corruption until the time when the heathen Danes laid waste
the provinces of England with cruel slaughter and barbarous
ravages. King Wulf here's brothers were these : Ethelred,
who succeeded him in his kingdom ; Peada, who, as we briefly
mentioned, was king of the Southern Mercians ; and Merewald,
who ruled in the western i)art of Mercia. Merewald's queen,
Ermenburga, bore him three daughters, St. INIildburg, St. Mild-
rith, and St. Mildgith, and one son, Merclin, a youth of
eminent piety.

Archbishop Theodore, being offended with Winfrid, bishop
of the Mercians, on account of some act of disobedience, de-
posed him from his bishopric and ordained in his stead Saxulf,
the founder and abbot of the monastery called Burg, in the
territory of the Girvii.* After his deposition, Winfrid retired
to his monastery of Bearwe, and there ended his days in
a course of holy living. Theodore also appointed Ercon-
wald bishop of the East-Saxons, who were then under Sebbe
and Sighere, with London for his see, where his predecessor
Wine had his episcopal seat. Erconwald's life and conversation,
both before and after he was made bishop, are said to have
been most holy. He founded two monasteries, one for him-
self, and the other for his sister; his own, called Chertsey, Avith
the aid of the sub-king, Frithewold, he filled with monks and
amply endowed; his sister's monastery was called Barking,
and she became the first abbess. Waldhere succeeded Ercon-
wald, and after him was Inguald, the last bishop of London
mentioned by Bede in his History of England. Moreover,
Hildelith succeeded Ethelburga, St. Erconwald's sister, and it
was to her that St. Aldlielm addressed his book " On Virginity."
Wulf hildis succeeded Hildelith as abbess, in the time of king
Edijar.

•o'

Peterborough ; the Gervian tenitory was in the n.e. of Mercia.

26 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER. [a.d. 676, 677.

[a.d. G7G.] Benedict Biscop went fVom Britain to Rome
the fourth time, a('eomi)anied l)y Ceolfrid a pious monk, and
l.rouj^ht back a bull of privileges, accejited not only with the
license and concurrence, but at the express desire and instance
of king P]i>irid, whereby the independence and immunities of
his monastery were secured for ever. He also obtained the
services of Jolm, precentor of the church of St. Peter the
apostle; bringing him to Britain to teach his monks the course
of chaunting throughout the year.

Escwine, king of Wessex, died, and Centwine, who was son
of Cynegils, son of Ceol, succeeded him. Ethelred, king of
the Mercians, ravaged Kent, destroying the city of Rochester
in the conmion ruin. Putta, its bishop, being exposed to
this, took refuge with Saxulf, bishop of the Mercians, and
accepting the cure of a church he gave him, ended his days
there in peace. Theodore consecrated Cuichelm to be bishop
in Putta's place, but as he retii'ed from the see shortly after-
wards, because it was stripped of its possessions, Theodore
a])pointed Gebmund bishop in his stead. On the death of
Eleutherius, bishop of the West-Saxons, Haedcli took u])on
himself his episcopal functions, having been consecrated by
Theodore at London. St. Cuthbert devoted liimself to a life
of solitude and contemplation as a hermit.

[a.d. 677.] In the eighth year of Egfrid*s reign, a comet
appeared in the month of August. The same year, in con-
sequence of a dispute between king Egfrid and the most
reverend T)ishop Wilfrid, the bishop was expelled from his
see, and two bishops were appointed in his place, namely,
Bosa, a reverend monk of the monastery of the abbess Hilda,
who governed the province of Deira, and Eata, the venerable
abbot of Mailrose, that of Bernicia. The one fixed his epis-
copal seat in the city of York, the other in the church of
Hagulstad (Hexham), or at Lindisfarne ; and both were taken
from their convents for their promotion to be bishops. Eathred
was also made bishop with them in the province of Lindis-
farras (Lindsey), which king Egfrid had very recently taken
possession of, defeating Wulfhere in battle, and driving him
out of the country. This was the first bishop of its own that
province had ; the second was Ethelwine, the third Edgar,
the fourth Cyneberht. Before that, it was superintended by
Saxwulf, who was also bishop at the same time of the Mer-

A.D. 678 — 680.] ^VILFIUD — ST. HILDA. 27

cians and Ea-st-Anirlt"*. I» oonsoquonce, after his expulsion
from Lludsey, he still continued to govern the two latter i)ro-
vinces. Eatha'd, Bosa, and Eata were consecrated at Yoik
by archhishop Theodore.

Wilfrid, Ix'ing thrust out from his bishopric, intended to go
to Rome, but after embarking, he was driven by a westerly
wind to Friesland, where he was the first to do the work of
an evangelist ; and, converting many thousand barbarians to
the faith, spent the whiter there in great delight with the
newly-con\erted ])eoj)le of God.

[a.d. G78.] The holy Bede was born.^

[a.d. 679.] A severe battle was fought between Egfrid
king of Northumbria and Ethelred king of Mercia, on the
river Trent, in which kuig Alfwine, brother of king Egfrid,
■was slain. His sister Osfrith was married to king Ethelred.

Bishop Wilfrid departing from Friesland ])roceeded to
Kome, and having been exonerated from the charges against
him, and found fit for his oflice by sentence of pope Benedict
and several bishops, he returned to Britain, and converted the
])i-ovince of the South-Saxons to the faith of Christ. St.
Ethcldritha, the virgin, abbess of Ely, was taken to the Lord
from the midst of her flocjk on the ninth of the calends of
July [2'5i"d June]. Hvv sister Sexburga succeeded to her
office.

[a.d. 680.] In the sixth year of the reigni of Ethelred,
king of Mercia, the eighth indiction, archbishoj) Theodore
comened a synod of the bishops, and great numbers of learned
men, at a place called Heathfield, that he might ascertain what
doctrines they severally held, as he had been directed by ])ope
Agatho, through the medium of John the precentor, who
was present at this synod. During this king's reign, the
])rovince of Mercia was divided into five dioceses,- and, in
consccjucnce, Tatfrlth, a man of ])rofound learning, who
belonged to the monastery of abbess Hilda, was selected to
be l)ishop of the flwiccii ; but he died suddenly, before he
could be consecrated; and, therefore, the reverend man, Bosel,

^ Florenco is quite incorrect in tho dato ho assigns for tlic birth of
BeiU'. rt apjxiars to liave Leon in (Mthor (!7:{ or 074. Sco the question
discussed !ind authorities referred to in the Preface to tho Kccles. Hist.
p. vi., Axinj. Lib.

' Litchliold, Worcester (Ilwiccas), Leicester, Lindsoy, and Hereford.

38 FLORENCE OF >Y011CESTER. [a.D. G81 — 684.

was shortly afterwards ordained bishop of that province.
HiUla, the^ devout handmaid of the Lord, abbess of the
monastery of Streoneshalh (Whitby), and daughter of king-
Edwin's grandson Hererie, having done the work of heaven
upon earth, was translated from this world to receive the
rewards of life in heaven, on the fifteenth of the calends of
December [17th November], in the sixty-sixth year of her
age. She founded two monasteries, Streoneshalh and
Hacanos (Hackness), in which she inculcated justice, devotion,
continence, and other virtues ; but chiefly peace and charity.
In a monastery governed by this abbess lived Cedmon, that
celebrated monk, who received from heaven the free gift of
poetical inspiration. Oshere, the sub-king, by licence from his
suzerain, Ethelred, the most excellent king of the Mercians,
gave a domain containing thirty households, at a place called
Eippel, to Frithewald, a monk of bishop Winfrid's who has
been already noticed, in order that he might establish there
the monastic rule.

[a.D. 681.] Bede was only seven years old Avhen, being a
lad of great promise, his relations entrusted him to the most
reverend abbot Biscop, to be brought up by him. Three
years after Wilfrid had withdrawn, archbishop Theodore
ordained Tunbert to the church of Hexham (Eata continuing
at Lindisfarne) and Trumwine as bishop of the territory of
the Picts. Eathred, having returned from Lindsey, because
king Ethelred had recovered possession of that province, was
set over the church of Ripon.

[a.D. 682.] Centwine, king of Wessex, drove the Britons
of the West at the sword's point as far as the sea. The most
reverend abbot Benedict Biscop, choosing his cousin Euster-
wine, a priest of eminent piety, and one of his own monks,
placed the monastery under his rule as abbot. King Egfrid,
for the redemption of his soul, gave another domain of forty
families to abbot Benedict, who, sending there twenty-two
monks, and appointing abbot Ceolfrid, his most strenuous
supporter on all occasions, to be their superior, founded a
monastery, by the king's command, at a place called Girvum
(Jarrow).

[a.D. 683.J

[a.D. 684.] Egfrid, king of Northumbria, sent Berht in
the command of an army to Ireland, who cruelly ravaged the

A.D. (jSo.^ ST. CUTIinERT— KING EGFKID. 1*0

inononsivo natives. A synod havine; asscniMed at Twyford
near the river Aliie, at wliieli king EglVid was present, and
archbislioj) Tlieodorc j)resided, Tiinbert was deposed from
his see, and C\ithbert unanimously elected 1)isho]) of Hexham ;
but as he preferred su})erintending the ehiux'h of Lindisfarne,
he was permitted to take that bisho])rie, Eatta returning to Hex-
ham. Benedict Biseop left Britain for Home, for the fifth time.
[a.d. 685.] Hlothere, king of Kent, having received a
wound in battle with the East-Saxons, died while it was
liealing, on Monday, the eighth of the ides, [the Gth] February.
He was succeeded by Edric, his brother Egbert's son, who
reigned one year and a half. Britain was swept with a pesti-
lence which carried death into all quarters, and abbot Eustcr-
wine, beloved of God, falling a prey to it was taken to the
Lord ; in whose stead the brethren, after consulting abbot
Ceolfrid, chose for their abbot, Sigefrid, a deacon belonging
to the same monastery, and eminent for his sanctity and
profound study of the scriptures. Biseop returned from Rome
loaded with presents for ecclesiastical uses, and foreign valu-
.ables. The consecration of St. Cuthbert took place on Easter
day, in the presence of king Egfrid ; seven bishops assisting
at the solemnity, of wdiom archbishop Theodore was primate.
King Egfrid, having rashly led an army to ravage the
territory of the Picts, was slain on Saturday, the thirteenth of
the calends of June [20th May], in the fortieth year of his age,
and fifteenth of his reign. He was succeeded by his brother
Alfrid, a i)rince well read in the Scriptures. In the beginning
of his reign, on the death of the most holy bishop Eata, John,
a man of sanctity, was appointed bishop of Hexham. Bishop
Trumwine, that devoted servant of the Lord, returned with
his companions from the country of the Picts, and selecting
Streoneshalh for his future abode, spent the rest of his life
there to his own profit and that of many others ; dying also
there, he mounted up to the kingdom of heaven. Ceadwalla,
a most gallant youth of the blood-royal of the Gcwissic,^ slew
Ethelwalhjking of the South-Saxons, having come upon him by
surprise at the head of an army ; 1>ut he was shortly after-
wards driven out by the caldormen Berhtini and Ethelhun,
who thenceforth assumed the govermnent of the kingdom.

' Gewissrc ; the West-Saxons ; " OcciJentales," the Westerns.

30 FLORENCE OF WORCESTEK. [a.D. 686, 687.

Centwiiio, kincr of the East-Saxons, departed this life, and
was succeeded by Ceadwalla, just named, who was the son of
(^ynebert, who was son of Ccadda, who was son of Cutha,
wiio was son of Ceaulin, who was son of Cynric, who was
son of Cerdi(\

[a.D. 686.] Bishop Wilfrid, after a long exile, returned to
his see and bishopric of the church of Hexham, at the invita-
tion of king Alfrid. On the death of Bosa, a most holy and
lumible man, Jolm, succeeded him as bishop of York. Cead-
walla, king of the Gewissa?, slew Beorthun, ealdorman of
Sussex, and reduced that province to severe servitude. He
and his brother Mull then ravaged Kent ; and afterwards,
king Ceadwalla himself seized the Isle of Wight, the whole of
which was till that time lost in idolatry ; and although not as
yet himself i"egenerated in Christ, he offered bishop Wilfrid
the fourth part of the island, containing three hundred families,
to be appropriated to the Lord's service. Wilfrid accej^ted the
grant, and committing the superintendance to his nephew
Borwin,^ sent ministers of the Word into the island. Bishop
Cuthbert, the man of God, having employed two years in his
episcopal functions, retired again, on a divine warning, to the
island of Fame. On the death of Edric, king of Kent, that
kingdom was for some time dismembered by kings of doubtful
pretensions, or aliens.

[a.D. 687.] The Kentish-men having cruelly surrounded
with fire and burnt to death Mull, the brother of Ceadwalla,
king of the West-Saxons, with twelve of his soldiers, king
Ceadwalla's indignation was so roused that he again devastated
Kent. The most reverend father Cuthbert died in the island
of Fame, on Wednesday, the thirteenth of the calends of
April [20th March], the fifteenth indiction ; but his body was
carried to the island of Lindisfarne, and buried in the church.
Wilfrid, bishop of Hexham, administered Cuthbert's see for a
year. His successor in the solitary life of his hermitage was
Ethelwold, a venerable man, whose merits and course of life
are exhibited in the numberless miracles he wrought. (St.
Kilian, a Scot, born in Ireland, and bishop of Wurtzburg,
became eminent.)

^ According to Bede, his name was Bernwini, and in the Saxon
version Berhtwine.

A.D. (}SS, 689.] CEADWALLA— INA. 31

[a.d. 088.] Ccadwiillii Jilxlicatiiic: iind retiring; to Komo, Tna,
a jirincc of the royal race who built the monastery of Ulas-
tonhiiry, succcoiled hhii in his kiuLrdoni. He was the son of
(V»nre<l, the son of (Jeolwald, the son of Cutha, the son of
(/Uthwine, the son of Ceaulin. Eadbert was eonsecrated
in the place of (^ithbert ; he was distinguished for his
knowledge of the holy Scriptures, as well as the observance
of the divine precepts, and, most of all, for his liberal distribu-
tion of alms. The abbots, Benedict Biscop and Sigefrid,
worn out by long illness, both took to their beds ; in conse-
(juence, shortly afterwards, lienedict having consulted with
the brethren, sent for Ceolfrid, to Avhom he had entrusted the
government of the monastery of St. Paul the apostle, and
appointed him abbot of both convents, in the fourth indic-
tion, and on the fourth of the ides [the 12th] of May. The
venerable abbot Sigefrid, beloved of God, was admitted to
the enjoyment of eternal rest, and entered the mansions of the
everlasting kingdom amid the sacrifices of endless praise, on
Saturday the eleventh of the calends of September [22nd
August] of the same year. On the death of Putta, bishop of
Hereford, he was succeeded by Tyrhtell.

[a.d. 689.] Benedict Bisco]), the successful combatant
against all vice, and pattern of virtue, after a lingering illness,
during which he constantly offered thanks to God, was ad-
mitted to the rest and brightness of the heavenly life on the
second of the ides [the 12th] of January. Cead walla, king of
the West-Saxons, was baptized on the holy Saturday of
Easter [the 10th April] whenSergius was pope; and he died
at Koine, on Tuesday the 12th of the calends of May [the
20th Aj)ril], in the third indiction, being about thirty years
of age. His ei)itapli, com]K)scd ])y command of pope Ser-
gius, is to the following effect :

" High rank and power, kindred, ft royal crown,
Tlie spoils of war, great Iriumplis and renown ;
NoblcH, juid cities walled to guard liis state,
His palaces and liis familiar seat;
"Whatever skill and valf)in- made liis own,
And what his great forefathers handed down, &;c."^

' 'J'lie whole epitaph is given in Bode, Antiq. Lib. ,i). '2 1'j ; ami II cur >/
of Iluntiiiijdon, ibift, p. 110.

2 Fl.OKKXOF. OF WOKCF^^TV.K. [\.T>. GOO 002.

[v.n. ()00.] ArohMslio\) TIuhhIoiv, of blossinl momovv,
ioJ on "Moiulny tho tliirt^vntli of tho oalonds of October
lOtU SoptomborJ in tho oiu;hty-oightl\ yoar oi hi^ ago and tho
Nvontv-sivond of lib opis^oopaoy. (^Until this time tlio aroh-
ishops of Canterbury >voro Ixomans, but, honcvforth, thoy
roro EngUshnion,)

[a.d. (>01.] Wilfrid, bisliop of Hoxliani, Innng again
oousod. and oxpoUod from his S(.v by king AltVid and several
ishops. shorilv afterwards sought a ivtreat uitli Krhelred,
iuij of Mereia. by whom he was a]>pointoil to the bisho]>rie
f the Mid-Anolos. At this time, Bosel. bishop of tlie ]>ro-
iee of the Hwiivas,^ was atHietinl with such In^dily in-
irmities, that he was unable to fultil his episcopal functions in
>ei*son ; in ctMisei\uence of which Oft for. a man o{ singular
\erit and eminent s;\nctity. who had long ivrfornunl the
tUee of a priest in ablvss Hilda's monastery, but was now a
>i*oaeher of the wonl in the iH^foro-namcil ]>n^vinco, was
a-dained bishop as substitute for l>osel, by bishop Wilfrid of
•IcssihI memory, at the command of king Ethelroil, Wcause
rchbishop Theodoin> was then dead, and no prelate had Ikhju
onsivrati^nl in his stead. Wihtivd, son of Eglvrt, king of
Cent, being establisheil on tlie throne, n^leastnl his subjtvts
ixnn alien intruders. Swebheard ixMgned jointly with him
>ver part of the kingtlom.

[a.i>. 00-.] The venerable Eglvrt, a name always to Iv
uentioncil with honour, was an Englishman by birth, but
iavh\g led a pilgrim's life hi Ireland, to stxniro a plaiM? in the
leaN enly country, he formcil the design of preaching in Ger-
nany. Not Wing able to carry it into otlect, as it was contrary
0 the Divine will, he sent there some holy and diligent men to
lo the work of the gosjvl, of whom Willibrord was the nn^^st
nninent, Knh for his n\erit and rank as a priest. They were

' In the early part of this Chronicle. Florence alvrays designates
:iy this name what was afterwards calW the bishopric of "Wor-
cester, and supplies some det,^s respecting it which are not found
?lsewhore. The Wiccii (Hwiocas. as our author calls them after the
\nglo-Saxon fonn of the name> Huicii. or Jugautes. were originally a
powerftil tribe of Britons who inhabited "Worcestershire, Warwickshire,
»ad the north of Gloucestershire. On the north was a kindred tribe,
:he Orvlo-Vioes, or noble "Wiccii, who originally possessed Salop, and
i^art of Cheshire and N. Wales, and sttierwiirds conquered Worcester-
shire, Ac, from the Wiccii proper. — Whitakrrs Hisivry of MnHcfK^tr.

A.D. 09-3 097.] ST. WILLIBRORD. 33

fiwoiirably received l»y Pe]>m the Elder, eliief of the Frank^,
M"lio sent them to ])reaeh in Hither Friesland. Following
their example, two priests of the name of Hewald, English-
men by l)iith, went into Old Saxony, that they might gain
souls for Christ in that pro\-inee by their preaching ; but tlie
barbarians no sooner discovered that they were of a difierent
religion, than they seized them and subjected them to mar-
t}Tdom, on the fifth of the nones [the 3rd] of Octoljer.
Willibrord haA'ing received from prince Pepin leave to preach,
went to Rome, to obtain from pope Sergius license to com-
mence the work of evansrelisins: the heathen, which Ixfinc;
gi-anted he returned to his mission.

Berthwald, abbot of the monastery of Raeulf (Eeculver),
near the northern mouth of the river Inlade, a man well
versed in tlie Scriptures, and thoroughly acquainted with the
rules both of monastic and ecclesiastical discipline, was chosen
Inshop in Theodore's place. On the death of Oftfor, bishop of
the Hwiccas,he was succeeded by St. Egwine, and in the course
of a few years, with the license and support of king Ethelred,
began to erect the Abbey of E^-esham.

[a.d. 693.] Berthwald was consecrated bj- Godwin, the
metropolitan bishop of France, on Sunday the tliird of the
calends of July [29th June]. Among many other bishops
consecrated by Godwin, was Tobias, ordained bishop of
Rocliester, on the death of Gebmund. Bede, the monk, was
admitted to the order of deacon by John, bishop of York.

[a.d. 694.] The Kentish-men made peace with Ina, kmg
of Wessex, by payiug liim three thousand seven hundi-ed and
fifty pounds, as a mulct for having burnt his brother MuU,
before mentioned.^

[a.d. 695.] The body of St. Etheldritha tlie Yii^gin was
found without decay, as well as the dress in wliieh it was
wrapi)ed, after liaving l)een Imried sixteen years.

[a.d. 696.] St. Willibrord, who was born in Britain of an
English family, at the request of Pepin eliief of the Franks,
was ordained arehbi.shop of the Frisians, by pope Sergius,
on the fea,st of tlie Nativity of St. Cecilia the Virgin [22nd
Xovmiiber].

[a.d. 697.] St. GuthlaCj at the age of twenty-four ycar^

^ See note to Saxon Chron. p. 031. Aniir]. Lib,

D

;M- FLORENCE OF WOROESTEli. [a.d. G98 — 704.

ixMicKincinc: Avorklly pomps and relinquishing all his property,
l»<<T()ok liiiiiself to the monastery of Hrepandun (Reptony and
reeeived the tonsin*e and monastic habit there under abbess
AltVyth. Ostln-yth, the queen of Ethelred king of Mercia,
Avas slain by the South-Humbrians.

[a.d. ()98.] Tlie body of St. Cuthbert was found eleven
years after its interment as undecayed as it was at the hour of
iiis death, as also the robe in which he was buried ; it was,
therefore, exhumed, and Ixjing AATapped in a new shroud and
]>hiccd in a fresh coffin was deposited on the floor of the
sanctuary. In a very short time, bishop Eadbert, the friend
of God, was attacked with an acute disorder, and not long
afterwards departed to the Lord on the day before the nones
[tlie Gth] of JMay. His corpse Avas deposited in the tomb of
St. Cuthbert, being placed on the chest in which the un-
♦lecayed remains of that father had recently been inclosed.
Eadfrid, a man of God, succeeded Eadbert in the bishopric.

[a.d. 699.] St. Guthlac retired to the isle of Croyland, on
tlie eighth of the calends of September, [25th August], and
bea,an to lead the life of a hermit.^

[a.d. 700—702.]

[a.d. 703.] Bede, in his book Be Tcmporibus, thus writes
in the year in which he composed it : — " If you wish to know
how many years there are, according to Dionysius, since our
Lord's Incarnation, reckon the numlier of indictions since the
fiftli year of Tiberius, which are forty-six ; these multiplied by
fifteen make six hundred and ninety ; add always the regular
number of twelve, because, according to Dionysius, our Lord
was born in the fourth indiction, and also the indiction of any
year you choose, as, for instance, in the present year one,
the total is seven hundred and thi-ee. That is the year of
our Lord according to Dionysius." These are the words of
Bede.

[a.d. 704.] Ethelred, king of the Mercians, became a monk
in the thu'tieth year of his reign,h'esigmng his kingdom to his

^ Repton in Derbyshire, the residence and biu-ial-place of some of
the Mercian princes.

2 See Ingulph ; and Orderictis Vitalig, Anliq. Lib. vol. ii. p. 86.

•^ Ethelred became abbot of the monastery of Bardney, of his own
foundation.

I

A.D. 705 — 708.] CYNRED AND OFFA CO TO ROME. 35

nopliew C}iircd. The venerable monk Bcde, at the command
of Cealfrid his abbot, received the order of priesthood from
tlie holy John, bishop of York.^

[a.d. 705.] Alfrid, king of the Northumbrians, died at
Driffeld on the nineteenth of the calends of January [14th
J)ecember] having not quite completed the thirtieth year of his
reign. He was succeeded in his kingdom by his son Osred, a
boy about eight years old, "who held it eleven years. In tlie
commencement of his reign, Hoidda, bishop of the West-Saxons,
departed to life in lieaven ; on whose death, the bishopric of
that proA-ince was divided into two dioceses, one of whicli was
given to Daniel, the other to Aldhehn,- abbot of the monastery
called jVIailduft' (Malmesbury) ; both being persons well versed
in ecclesiastical allau's and knowledge of the Scriptures.
St. Aldlielm was consecrated by the blessed Berthwald, arch-
bisho]) of Canterbury.

[a.d. 70G.]

[a.d. 707.] Bede, having taken priest's orders in the thirtieth
year of his age, began to employ liimself diligently in writing
the work, to the composition of wliich twenty-nine years of
his life were devoted.

[a.d. 708.] Cynred, king of Mercia, and Offa, king of tlie
East-Saxons, son of king Sighere, leaving their wives, their
lands, their kindi-ed and country, for Christ's sake and the
gospel's, and, having received the tonsure and become monks,
jiersevered in i)rayer, fiisting, and almsgiving, at the threshold
of the apostles, to the end of their days ; and thus became
admitted at last to tlie vision of the blessed apostles in heaven,
so long the object of their desires. St. Egwine, bishop of the
llwiccas, accompanied tliem to Rome, on their in\dtation, and,
having solicited pope Constantino to issue a bull, by which
security might be given to the monastery he had built in the

' Thorpe considers this passage to be **an intprpolatioTi, from tlie
inaccuracy of its date." The year 774, agreeing with this entry, was
ado])tcd by IVlabillon, and seems to be generally received as tlie date
of IJedc's birth, and in the next page we tind Florence supplying cor-
responding detiiils. Some writers fix it as late as 777, and are sup-
ported by the Chronological Kpitomc at the end of the ]*jCc1cs. Hist.
It must be observed, however, that the entries in tbis, after tlie year
7.I1, were supplied by anothrr hand. See the I'reface to the Eccles.
Hist. {Aul'iq. Lih.)j p. vi. ; and an entry in tiiis Chronicle, p. W.

* Daniel became bishop of Winchester, and Aldlielm of Sherborne.

D 2

;',0 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [A.T). 709 — 714-.

territory of Worcester against unjust claims, his petition was
«»rante<l.

[a.d. 700.] Cynrotl was succeeded in his kingdom by Oeol-
rod, the son of king Etheh-ed, who liad reigned before Cynred.
St. Aldliehn, bishop of Wessex_, a man of most extensive learn-
ing, dejiarted to the Lord. I'orthred (Forthere), his successor
in the bishopric, was also deeply read in the holy scriptures.

*' Here Wilfrid's virtues earned the name of Great ;
Long tossed by perils in this mortal state ;
Thrice fifteen years a bishop's life he spent,
Then to the realms above triumphant went." ^

His remains were buried with great pomp in the church of St.
Peter the apostle, in his original monastery of Ripon. On
his death, his priest Acca received the bishopric of Hexham.
He was a man of great vigour, honourable in the sight both
of God and man, a skilful chaunter, deej^ly erudite in sacred
literature, strict in the true confession of the catholic faith, a
mirror of continence, and a perfect master of the rules of
monastic discipline ; he had been formerly a scholar of Bosa,
bishop of York, beloved by God.

[a.d. 710.] Berhtfrid, commander of king Osred's army,
fought a battle with the Picts, in which he w\as victorious.
Ina, the warhke king of the Gewisssc, and his kinsman Nun,
engaged in war with Gwent, king of the Britons, and defeated
liim and put him to flight. The most reverend father Adrian,
abbot of the monastery of 8t. Peter the apostle, died, and
was buried in that monastery. He was succeeded by his
disciple Albinus, who was as much master of Greek and Latin
as he was of Eno-Hsh, his native tono-ue. On the death of
T\rhtell, bishop of Hereford, he was succeeded by Forthere.
^[a.d. 711—713.]

[a.d. 714.] Guthlac, the brother of Christ's dear virgin
Pegia, that most exemplary hermit and faithful priest of God,
who worked miracles without number, breathed out his spirit,
Avhich was wafted to the joys of eternal triumph, on the third
of the ides [the 11th] of April, being the fourth day of Easter,
the twelfth indiction. He was succeeded by Cissa, who was

^ These lines are extracted, with some variations, from the epitaph
in Bede, Hist. v. 3U, beginning Wilfridm hie iT/rtw»s, " Wilfrid the
Great."

A.D. 715 — 7-0.] SAXON KIXGS AND SAINTS. 37

for a lono; tlnio an idolater, Itut lm<l aftorwards been baptized
in I»iitain.

[a.d. 71").] Grco^ory (II.) became the eiglitv-eiolith pope,
and iilled the apo.stolieal see seventeen years and ten months.
He was chaste and wise, and ordjiined Boniface to the bishopric
of Mentz, from whom Germany received tlie word of salvation.
Ina, kinu: of tlie West-Saxons, and Ceohid, kini»- of the ]\Icr-
cians, fought a battle at a place called Wodnesbeorh.

[a.d. 71G.] Egbert, the man of God who has been men-
tioned ])efore, induced the monks of Hii to adopt the Catholic
nsages with respect to Easter and ecclesiastical tonsure.
AVlien Osred was slain, Cenred, son of the ilhistrious Cutlnvine,
succeeded to the go\ernment of the kingdom of Northuml)ria.
Ceolred, king of tlie Mercians, died, and was buried at Litch-
field. Ethelbald his cousin, that is, the son of Alwine, who
was the cousin of his father king Ethelred, became king, as
St. Guthlac, inspired by a proi)hetical spirit, had predicted to
him. Ethelred, formerly king of the jNIercians, but afterwards
abbot of the monastery of Bardney, which he had himself
founded, departed out of this life, and entered on the joys
of eternal hap})iness, serenity and light. Abbot Ceolfrid, a
man of eminent holiness and devotion, died while he was on
a ])ilgrimage at the city of Langres, in Burgundy, and was
buried in the church of the fellow martyrs, SS. Speusippus,
Eleusippus, and jNIeleusippus. Ho was at the time of his death
sevent}'-f<)ur years of age, lia\'ing been of the order of the
l)riesthood forty-seven years, and iilled the office of abbot
thirty-fiN'e years.

[a.d. 717.] St. Egwuie, the third bishop of the Hwiccns,
died on Thursday the third of the calends of January [»30th
December], the fifteenth induction. Wilfrid, a man of
eminent piety, succeeded to the bishopric of the church of
AVorcester, having been elected in Egwine's lifetime.

[a.d. 718.] Cenred, king of the Northumbrians, died,
and Osric was raised to the throne. Ingils, brother of Ina,
king of the West-Saxons, ended his life. His sisters were
SS. Cueiiburh and Culhbuih, who founded a monastery for
nuns at a place called Winburne. Aldfrith, king of the Nor-
thiiiiibrians, married (Sithburh, but they both renounee<l
coiMiuhial intercourse hetbru her dealii, for the Ionc of (iod.

[a.d. 719, 720.]

38 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER. [a.D. 721 — 728.

[a.d. 721.] Daniel, l)ishop of Winchester, went to Rome.
Tlie saiuo year, kino- Ina slew Cyncwulf the Etheling. The
lu.ly Jolin, bishop oi' York, beino- prevented by the weight of
years from duly perfin-ming- his episcopal functions, conse-
crated his friend Wilfrid to act for him, and retiring to his
monastery, which is called " In the Wood of Deira,'* died
tliere on "the nones [the 7th] of May, having spent the close
of his days in a course of living agreeable to God. Eadfrid,
bishoj) of Lindisfarno died, and was succeeded by Ethelwald,
priest and abbot of Mailrose.

[a.d. 722.] Queen Ethelburh levelled to the ground the
castle of Taunton, built some time before by king Ina, who
fought a battle the same year with the South-Saxons.

[a.d. 723, 724.]

[a.d. 725.] Wihtred, king of Kent, son of Egbert, died
on the ninth of the calends of May [23rd April], leaving three
sons, Ethelbert, Eadbert, and Alric, heirs to his kingdom,
which he had held thirty-four years and a half. King Ina, in
a second battle with the South-Saxons, slew the Etheling
Aldbriht, whom he had previously driven out of Wessex.

In this year Bede, the chronologer, composed his " Lesser
Book of Computation;" for he thus writes: "If you wish to
know the epact for any year, take the year of our Lord,
whatever it may be, according to Dionysius, as in the present
eighth indiction, seven hundred and twenty five ; divide by
nineteen, multiply nineteen by thirty, and you have five hun-
dred and seventy, and nineteen multiplied by eight produces
one hundred and fifty two : subtracting these, three remain ;
three multiplied by eleven make thirty three ; subtract thirty,
and three remain, which is the epact for the present year."
These are Bede's words.

[a.d. 726.] Tobias, bishop of Bochester died; he had
learnt Greek and Latin so perfectly that ho knew those
languages as well, and could use them as familiarly, as his
native English. He was succeeded by Aldulf.

[a.d. 727.]

[a.d. 728.] King Ina, having abdicated, and resigned his
crown to Ethelward, a descendant of king Cerdic, journeyed
to the threshold of the blessed apostles in the time of pope
Gregory (II.), desirous of sojourning for a time as a pilgrim
near the holy places on earth, so that he might from thence

A.D. 729 — 731.] SAXON SEES AND BISHOPS. 39

secure a readier admission into the society of the saints in
lieavcn. Tlie same year a battle was fought between kino-
Etlicllmnl and Oswakl, tlie Kthelini»f, wlio was son of Etliel-
bald, son of Cynebald, son of Chithwine, son of Ceaulin.

[a.d. 721).] ill the month of January, two comets apj^eared
round tlie sun, and remained visible nearly two wix'ks.
Egbert, the man of God we have often mentioned, dei>arted
to the Lord on Easter-day of this year, which fell on the
eiglith of the cidends of May [24th April]. Shortly after-
wards, when Easter was ])ast, on the seventh of the ides [the
9th] of May, Osric king- of the Northumbrians also died,
having declared Ceolwulf, brother of his prc<lecessor Kenred,
his heii". It was to king Ceolwulf that IJede, the serxant of
God, priest and monk, dedicated his Ecclesiastical History of
the English nation. Ceolwulf was the son of Cutha, who was
Sim of (^uthwine, who was son of Egwald, Avho was son of
Aldhelm, wlio was son of Ocea, who was son of Ida, who
was son of Eoppa.

[a.d. 730.] Oswald the Etheling, a most valiant prince,
died.

[a.d. 731.] Archbishop Berthwald, worn out with old age,
<lied on the fifth of the ides [the 9th] of January. Pope
(iregory (11.) die<i on the third of the ides [the llth] of
February. Tatwine, a priest of the nionastory of Brindun,
(Breedon Worces.) in the province of Mercia, was conseci'ated
as archbishop of Canter))ui'y to succeed Berthwald, on Sunday
tile tenth of tlie month of June, by the following bishops : —
Daniel of AVinchester, fnguald of London, Aldwine of Litch-
fH'hl, and Aldulf of lloehester. He was eminent for ]m'[\
and wisdom, and amply endowed with the knowledge of sacred
literature. A})out the year 282, after the arrival of tlie An-
gles in Britain, 'PatwiiK^ and Aldulf were bisho))s of the
cliurehes in Kent; Jnguald was ]>ish()j) of the East-Saxon.%
Eadljcrht and Hathulac were bishops of the province of East-
Anulia, and J)ani<'l and Foithere of the ])rovince of Wessex ;
Aldwine was bisliop of tlie pi-ovince of Mercia; Walhstod, of
the i)eople who live lieyond the river Severn towards the west ;
Wilfrid of th<3 provinc<' of the Hwiccias,' and Kynebert of
the ])rovinc<' of Lindisfarne. The bishopric of the Isle of

' Walhstod of Hereford. Wilfrid of "Worcester.

-10 FLOUENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 732 — 734.

Wlolit l>t>lonf>s to Uaniol, bishop of Winchester. The bishopric
of the Soutli-Saxons having been now for some years void,
the ])isliop of tlie West-Saxons had been invited to exercise
tlie i-piscojial functions in it. All tliese provinces, and the
otliers south of, and as far as, the ri^xH• Huniber, with their
several kings, were subject to Ethelbald, king of the Mercians.
As for the pro\ince of the Northumbrians, of which Ceohvulf
was king, it was divided into four bishoprics, of which
Wilfrid iield the church in York, Ethelwold in Lindisfarne,
Acca in Hexham, and Pectelm in that which is called Can-
dida-Oasa (Whitherne). The Britons were for the most part
reduced to servitude under the English.

[a.D. 732.]

[a.D. 733.] There was an eclipse of the sun on the
eighteenth of the calends of September, about the third hour
of the day, so that nearly its whole disc seemed to be covered
with a very black and fearful spot.^ Acca, bishop of Hexham,
was driven from his see.

[a.D. 734.] On the second of the calends of February
[31st January], about cock-crowing, the moon turned blood-
red for nearly an hour, then it changed to black, and after-
wards reassumed its natural brightness. Tatw^ine, archbishop
of Canterbury, departed this life on the third of the calends
of August [30th July]. Nothelm, a priest of the church of
London, succeeded him in the archbishopric. The most holy
Bede, the venerable priest, the monk worthy of all praise, the
admirable clu'onologer, died in this year, according to the
English Chronicles, but in the year following [a.d. 735],
according to his disciple, Cuthbert, who wTote an account
of his death, and was present with many others at his de-
parture. It took place on the Wednesday before the feast
of our Lord's Ascension ; '^ that is, the eighth of the
calends of June [2oth May], about the tenth hour, wdien he
breathed his last in a devout and tranquil frame of mind, and
so departed with joy to the realms above. He composed an
account of most of the events which occurred in his own

^ The true date of this eclipse was the 14th August, 733.

2 According to Cuthbeit's Letter, Ascension-day foil that year on the
7th before the calends of Juno, corresponding witli '20th May. In the
English Historical Society's edition of ])cdc and Florence,' his death
is placed on the 2?th May, 70.j.

A.D. 7^U 14:4:.] SAXON KINGS AND BISI10P8. 41

country (l(^wn to this jioriotl in a clear style, and his lifi» and
Ins history ended too;ether. We too, God p:indin[>: us, have
thouo-ht it worth our while to ]>e(|ucath to our I'aithful suc-
cessors a record of events from the term of his hai)i)y end,
wliicli we have gathered from the English Chronicles, or the
credible accoinits of trustworthy persons ; as well as such as
we have heard ourselves as undoubted facts, and, ui some
cases, seen M'ith our own eyes, and acciu'ately noted.

[a.d. 73t>.] Pectelm, bishop of Whitherne died, and was
succeeded in the bishopric by Frithowald.

[a.d. 730.] Xothelm, archbishop of Canterbury, received
the pallium from Gregory (HI.), the eighty-ninth pope.

[a.d. 7-^7.] Fortherc, bishop of Sherborne, and Frithogith,
queen of the West-Saxons, went as ])ilgrims to Rome.

[a.d. 738.] Ceolwulf, king of Northumbria, haAing abdi-
cated his kingdom and transferred it to Eadbert his cousin,
son of Eat a, became a monk.

[a.d. 739.] Ethelwold, bishoj) of Lindisfarne, and Acca,
bishop of Hexham, paid the debt of nature. Cynewulf
succeeded Ethelwold, and Acca was succeeded by Frithoberht.

[a.d. 740.]

[a.d. 741.] Ethelhard, king of Wessex, died, and was
succeeded by his kinsman Cuthred, who harassed Ethelbald,
king of jNIercia, by continued hostilities. On the death of
Nothelm, the archbishop of Canterbury, on the sixteenth of
the calends of November [17th October], Cuthbert, who was
the fifth bishop of Hereford, was raised to the archbishopric.
Aldwulf, l^ishop of Rochester, also died, and Dunn was con-
secrated in his place.

[a.d. 742.]

[a.d. 743.] Ethell)al(l, king of Mercia, and Cuthred, king
of Wessex, fought a battle with the Britcms. Wilfrid, bishop
of the Hwicii, dejiarting tliis life, Avas succeeded by Mildred.
(St. Boniface, archbishop of Mentz, flourished). Stars were
seen apjiarently falling fnmi heaven.

[a.d. 744.] (St. Boniface founded the abbey of Fulda, in
the wilderness of Bochon.) Wilfrid the younger, archbishop
of York, died on the third of the calends of May [20th April],
and Eglx'rt, king Edijcit's brother, was raised to the arehi-
ojMscopal tlipone. Hnnicl bisjiop of Winchester, venerabk*
for his great ag<', \nluutarily resigning his olliee, chose to

42 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 745 — 755.

rotii'o in tho same city, and Ilunfrith was appointed bishop in
liis istoad.

[a.D. 745.] Daniel departed to the Lord, in the forty-tliird
year from the* time lie was consecrated bLshop, and after long
struggles in his heavenly warfare.

[a.D. 74G.] Selred, king of tlio East-Saxons, was slain.

[a.D. 747.]

[a.D. 748.] Cynrie, the Etheling of the West-Saxons, was
slain. Eadbert, king of Kent, died, and his brother Ethel-
bei't was raised to the throne.

[A.D. 740.]

[a.D. 750.] (Pepin was anointed emperor by Boniface,
archlushop of Mentz, by a decree of pope Zachary, and in
consequence, the bishops of Mentz are considered to rank
next to the popes.) Cuthred, king of the West-Saxons,
fought a battle with the fierce ealdorman Ethelhun.

[a.D. 751.]

[a.D. 752.] Cuthred, king of Wessex, in the twelfth year
of his reign, fought a severe battle with Ethelbald, king of
the Mercians, near Beorhtford (Burford).

[a.D. 753.] King Cuthred fought again with the Britons,
and slew many of them.

[a.D. 754.] Cuthred, king of the West-Saxons died, and
his kinsman Sigebert, son of Sigeric, succeeded him. On the
death of Hunfrith, bishop of Winchester, Cynehard was ap-
]K)inted in his place. Canterbury was destroyed by fire.

[a.D. 755.] St. Boniface, the archbishop, while preaching
tlie word of God in Friesland, suffered martyi\lom in company
witli many others on the nones [the 5th] of June. Cynewulf,
a descendant of king Cerdic, with the support of the West-
Saxon nobles, expelled their king, Sigebert, on account of his
many unjust acts, and reigned in his stead ; but Cynewulf
granted him a district called Hampshire,, wdiich he held until
he unjustly slew Cumbran, the ealdorman, who had adhered to
him longer than any of the rest. After that, king Cynewulf
himself marched against him, and drove him into a wood
which the English called Andred. He abode there for a long-
time, but at last he was run through with a spear, at a place
called Privet's-Flood, by a certain herdsman, in revenge for
the ealdorman*s death. The same king, Cynewulf, very often
defeated the Britons in great battles. Ethelbald, king of tlie

A.D. 7i>6— 7C3.] OFFA, KING OP MERCIA. 43

Mercians, was killed at Sivcoswald, aiul his body convoyed
to lioptou and buried there. His kingdom was usurped
)>y the tyrant Beornred, who held it for a short time with
little joy or comfort, and then lost his crown and his life
together. On his death he was succeeded by OllU, grandson
of a cousin of Ethelbald, king of the IVIercians, being a son of
Thingferth, who was son of Eanwulf, who was son of Osmond,
who was son of Eop})a, who was son of Wybl)a, the father of
king Penda.

[a.d. 7>')C).'\ (Lullus succeeded Boniface in the arch-
bisiioj)ric of Mentz, which he held thirty-two years.)

[a.d. 757.] Eadbert, king of the Northumbrians, resigned
his crown for Iono of his heavenly country, and received the
tonsure of St. Peter the apostle. Oswulf, his son, assumed the
government of the kingdom, and after reigning one year was
slain by the Northumbrians, on the ninth of the calends of
August p4th July].

[a.d. 708.] Cuthl)crt, archbishop of Canterbury, departed
this life on the seventh of the calends of Novend)er [26th
()('tol)er]. At this ])eriod Swithred was king of the East-
Saxons, Osmund of the South -Saxons, and Beorn of the East-
Angles.

[a.d. 759.] Breogwin, Cuthbert*s successor, was consecrated
archbishop on the feast of St. Michael. Moll Ethelwald was
raised to the throne of Northumbria.

[a.d. 7G0.] Ethelbcrt, king of Kent, died, and Ceolwnlf,
the jnost devout monk, formerly the illustrious khig of the
Northumbrians, passeil to the joys of eternal light.

[a.d. 701,] The winter of this year was very severe; and
Moil, king of the Nortluunbiians, slew Oswino, a most noble
Etheling, near Edwin's-cliif, on the eighth of the ides [the 0th]
of August.

[a.d. 702.] Breogwin, archbishop of (Janterbury, died on
the ninth of the calends of September [21th August]; he
was succeeded ])y Jainbcrt, abbot of St. Augustine's.

[a.d. 703.] Jainbert was enthroned as archbishop on the
feast of the puiiCication of St. Mary [2iid Eel).]. The same
year Frithowakl, bishoj) of Whit heme, died on the nones [the
7th] of May ; IV'htwine having been consccratcMl in the
<listrict crillecl yEili-tc, on the nineteenth of tln^ calends of
August [I7th .Inly], filled the sec in tlie place of Erithowald.

44^ FLORENCE OP WOUCESTER. [a.D. 764 — 779.

[A.r>. 70)4.] Archbishop Jalnbcrt received the pallium from
jKtpe l*aiil, hi'otlier of his predecessor pope Stephen.

rA.r>. 7()r).] INloU, king- of the Northumbrians, vacated his
tlu-one, in ^vhicli lie was succeeded by Alhred, son of Eanwine,
Avho was son of Byrnhom, who was son of Bosa, who was son
of Bleacman, avIio Avas son of Ealric, Avho was son of Ida.

[a.D. 7G6.] Egbert, archbishop of York, died on the thir-
teenth of the calends of December [19th Nov.] at York ; and
was succeeded by Etlielbert. Frithobert, bishop of Hexham,
died ; and was succeeded by Alhmund.

[a.D. 767.]

[a.D. 768.] Eadbert, formerly the most illustrious king of
tlie Northumbrians, and afterwards a monk of eminent piety,
died on the thirteenth of the calends of September [20th Oct.],
and was buried in the same porch in which his brother Egbert
tlie archbishop lies.

[a.d. 769—773.]

[a.D. 774.] A red sign, in the shape of a cross, was visible in
the hea\'ens after sunset. The Mercians and the Kentish-men
fought a battle at Ottanford. Horrible snakes were seen in
Sussex, to the wonder of all. During the feast of Easter
[3rd Ai)ril], the Northumbrians drove their king, Alhred,
king Moll's successor, from York, and raised Etlielbert, the
son of Moll to the throne.

[a.D. 775.] Milred, bishop of the Hwiccas, died ; and
Wermund succeeded him in the bishopric.

[a.D. 776.] Pehtwine, bishop of Whitherne, died on the
thirteenth of the calends of October [19th Sept.].

[a.D. 777.]

[a.D. 778.] . Etlielbert being expelled from his kingdom by
the Northumbrians, Alfwold was raised to the throne. Cyne-
wulf king of Wessex, and Oifa king of Mercia, fought a
desperate battle near Bensington ; but Offa having gained the
victory, took possession of the town, which he kept. Wer-
nuuid, l)ishop of the Hwiccas, died ; and was succeeded by
abbot Tilhere. Etlielbert was ordained bishop of York on the
twentieth of the calends of July [loth June] at Whitherne.

[a.D. 779.] Alhmund, bishop of Hexham, died on the
seventli of the ides [7th] of September ; in whose place Til-
bert Avas consecrated on the tenth of the nones [the 2nd] of
October; and Higbald Avas ordained bishop of Lindisfariie

A.D. 780 — 781.] rvXKIIARD, THE ETIIELIXG. 4.)

at Soccal)iriir, in tlio room of (Snowulf. KiiiL'- All'wold sent
onvovs to JloiiR' to doiuand the pallium forEaiil>al(l from pope
Adrian.
[a.d. 7.^0.]

[a.d. 78 1. J Tillioro, Msliop of the Hwiccias, being* dead,
Heatliorcd snccocdcd to his episcopal functions. Ethelbert,
arclihishop of York, Ej^hert's succesj>or, died; and was suc-
ceeded by Eanbald. He Avas the scholar of Alhwine, tlie
jn-cceptor of the cm]icror Charles. A synod was held at
Aclev. Cynewulf, bisho]) of Lindisfjirnc, and Werburga,
queen of (Jeolred, formerly king- of the Mercians, died.
[a.d. 782, 783.]

[a.d. 784.] When Cynewulf, king- of Wessex, was takinc^
measures for ex])elling' Cynehard, who, being king Sigebert's
brother, was the Etheling, it chanced that he came with only
a few attendants to a vill called in English Merton, to visit
some woman. The etheling, learning this, instantly collected
a band of his retainers, and hastened to the spot with great
glee. On his arrival, tin<ling all the world asleep, he had the
chamber in which the king lay closely beset on all sides by
his followers. The king being alarmed, leai)t from the bed,
and seizing his arms, opened the chamber-door, and fought
stoutly in resistance to his assailants. At length, getting
siglit of the etheling, he rushed forth to attack hhn, and gave
him a severe wound. Seeing this, the whole band of the
etheling's soldiers fell on the king, and wounded and slew
him. The woman, uttering cries of terror and grief, fills
the chamber with her lamentations. The few trooj)s who were
in attendance on the king run to the spot, and find their
master, whom they had just before left alive, lying dead.
At this they arc roused to such a pitch of fury, that
<lra\ving- their swords they make a des})erate rush on his
nun-derers. The etheling endeaAOurs to ])acify them, pro-
mising to each a large sum of money, besides spariilg their
lives, if they will withdraw ; they, however, reject his oilers,
and contiiuie the combat till they all perish, except one
British hostage, who was desperately wounded. When morn-
ing came, and the news of the king's death got abroad, his
ealdorman Osric, who was nuich attached to him, and Wiferth,
liis most faithful thane, hastened to the spot with all the ibrci*
the king had left behind the day before ; but they find all the

40 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER. [a.D. 785 — 788.

gatos barred. Wliilc they are trying to burst them open, the
c'theHng boklly advances to them, promising them that he
Avill cheerfully heap on them gold, silver, honours, whatever
they severally coveted, if they will only raise him to the royal
throne : he suggests also, that there are many of their relations
on liis side, who are ready to follow him to the death, rather
than be induced to abandon him on any pretence. The royal
trooi)s I'cject his offers, and earnestly entreat their Idnsmen to
desert their lord and depart home in safety with all possible
despatch. But the etheling's party replied : — " What you
offer us, we proposed to your comrades who fell with the
king ; but as they would not attend to our summons, neither
wdll we obey yours on the present occasion." On receiving
this answer, the royal troops advance, force open the doors,
level the barricades, and put the etheling and all his followers,
in number eighty-foiu*, to the sword, except only his little son
who was severely wounded. The king's corpse was conveyed
to Winchester for interment ; the etheling's was buried in the
monastery at Axminster.

[a.D. 785.] A synod was held at a place called in English,
Cealch-h^i:he, wdiere, after much wrangling, archbishop Jain-
bert lost a small portion of his diocese.^ Berthun, bishop of
Dorchester, dying, Higbert was chosen by OfFa, king of
Mercia, to succeed him in his bishopric ; and OfFa's son
Egfert was consecrated king.

[a.D. 786.]

[a.D, 787.] Brihtric, king of Wessex, married Eadburga,
king Offii's daughter ; in his time, Danish pirates came to
England with three ships. The Idng's reeve hearing of their
arrival hastened to meet them with a few followers, and being
in eiithe ignorance who they were, or whence they came,
tried to drive them, unwilling as they were, to the royal vill,
but they presently slew him. These were the first Danes who
landed in England.

[a.D, 788.] A synod was held at Pincanhale (Finchall)

^ Cealchythe; Chelsea? which was called Clieloethe as late as the
end of the fifteenth centnry. Tins synod was held for tlie purpose of
estabhshing an independent arcliiepiscopal see for the l<mgdom of
Mercia, when Lichfield was chosen as the place, and Higeberht as the
first metropolitan ; within whose province was comprised all the sees
between the Thames and the Humber.

A.D. 789 — 794.] ALFWOLB — ETHELRERT. 47

in Nortlmmbria, on tliu Iburtli of the nones [the 2nd] of
Sej)teniber.

[a.d, 789.] Alfwold king of the Northum'brian.s -svas in-
famously assassinated by a man named Sigan (m the ninth of
the calends of Oetoher [l?3rd September] ; and was inteiTed
in the church of St. Peter, at Hexham. A strong light from
heaven was fre(iuently observed on the spot where he was
murdered. He was succeeded in his kingdom by his nephew
Osred, king Alehred's son.

[a.d. 790.] Jainbert, archbishop of OanterTmry, died on the
second of the ides [l^tli] of August; andEthelhard succeeded
him. Osred being dethroned and driven out by the Northum-
brians, Ethelred, Alfwold's brother was restored to his kingdom.

[a.d. 791.] Beadulf was ordained bishop of Whitherne on
the sixteentli of the calends of August [17th July].

[a.d. 792.] Osred, who had been expelled from his kingdom
by the Northumbrians, was seized and barbarously put to
death on the eighteenth of the calends of October [14th
8ej>tember]. He was buried in the monastery at the mouth
of the river Tyne.

[a.d. 793.] Ethelbert, the most glorious and holy king of
the East- Angles, whose eminent virtues rendered him accept-
able to Christ, the true King, and who was courteous and
allable to all men, lost at once both his kingdom and his
life, being beheaded by the detestable commands of Offa, the
mighty king of Mercia, at the infamous suggestion of his own
wife, queen C^Tiefrith ; but though inicpiitously slain and
deprived of his kingdom, the king and martyr entered the
coTU-ts of the blessed s]iirits, while the angels rejoiced in
triumph. The consecration of archbi.shop Ethelhard was cele-
brated on twelfth of the calends of August [21st July].

[a.d. 794.] Ethelred, king of the Northumbrians, was
slain by his subjects; in conse(|Ucnce, Ceohvulf, bishop of
Lindisfarne, and bishop Eadbold, departed the kingdom.
Eadbert, surnamcd Pren, began to reign in Kent. Ofla, king
of Mercia, dyuig on the fourth of the calends of August
[29th July], his son Egbert succeeded to the glory of his
kingdijm, but only reigned one hundred and forty-0!ie
days, ending his life tlie same year. Mv was succeeded by
Kenulf, a magnificent ])rinc^e, wlio was blessed with a saintly
ollspring, and rided the kingdom with peace, justice, and piety.

.l>>i FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 795 — 812.

[a.d. TIK").]

[a.d. 790.] Kcniilf, king- of Merela, ravaged nearly all
Kent, and taking prisoner its king, Prcn, carried him away in
chains Avitli him to Mereia.

[a.d. 797.]

[a.d. 798.] The body of 8t. Wihtbnrg, the Virgin, daugh-
ter of Anna, king of the East- Angles, and sister of the sainted
virgins, 8exl)nrga, Ethelbnrga, and Etheldritha, Avas discovered
in a state of incorruption after it had been buried nearly
fifty-five years at tlie vill, called Dyrham. Heathored, bishop
of the Ilwiccias, died, and Deneberht was chosen and conse-
crated in his stead.

[a.d. 799.] Ethelhard, archbishop of Canterbury, and
Kineberht, bishop of Winchester, went to Rome.

[a.d. 800.] Brihtric, king of Wessex, died, and was suc-
ceeded by Egbert. It happened that on the very day on
whicli Brihtric died, Ethelmund, ealdorman of Mereia, led an
expedition out of Mereia, and crossed the ford called, in
English, Cymeresford. On hearing of his advance, Weohstan,
ealdorman of Wiltshire, marched against him with the men of
Wilts, and, after an obstinate engagement, in which numbers
fell on both sides, and both the ealdormen were slain, the
Wiltshire men gained the victory. Alhmund, son of Alhred,
king of Nortliumbria, was killed.

[a.d. 801.]

[a.d, 802.] Higbald, bishop of Lindisfarne, died, and
Egbert being elected his successor, Avas consecrated by Ean-
bald, archbishop of York, on the third of the ides [2nd] of
June. Wermund, bishop of Rochester, dying, Beornmod was
consecrated in his stead.

[a.d. 803.] Ethelhard, archbishop of Canterbury, died, and
was succeeded by Wulfred.

[a.d. 804.] Archbishop Wulfred received the pallium
from pope Leo.

[a.d. 805.] The church of St. Alban's was dedicated on
the 1st of December in this year. Cutln'ed, king of Kent,
Heaberht, the ealdorman, and Ceolburga, abbess of Berkeley,
died.

[a.d. 806—811.]

[a.d. 812.] Wulfred, archbishop of Canterbury, and
Wibcrht, bishop of Sherborne, went to Rome.

A.D. 813 823.] WULFRED ST. KEXELM. 49

[a.d. 813. J Archbishop Wulfred returned to his see Avith
the benediction of pope Leo. The same year, Egbert, king
of Wcssex, ravaged the Western Britons on theii* eastern
frontier.

[a.d. 814, 815.]

[a.d. 816.] Tlie English-school at Rome was destroyed
bv fire.

' [a.d. 817, 818.]

[a.d. 819.] St. Kenulph, king of Mercia, after a life spent
in good deeds, was translated to eternal bliss in heaven, leav-
ing his son (St.) Kenehn, a boy seven years old, heir to his
kingdom. A few months only had elapsed when, betrayed by
the artifices of his sister Quendryth, whose conscience was
hardened by her fierce ambition, the young king was fiercely
set u])on and secretly murdered by Ascebert, his cruel
guardian, under a thorn-tree in a vast and dense wood ;
but as heaven alone was witness to his murder, so heaven
revealed it by the testimony of a column of liglit. Kenelm's
innocent head fell to the ground, pure and milk-white as it
was at liis birth ; from it a milk-white dove soared to
heaven on golden wings. After his blessed martyrdom, Ceol-
wulf succeeded to the kingdom of Mercia. Egbert, bishop
of Lindisfiirne, died, and waii succeeded by Heathored.

[a.d. 820.]

[a.d. 821.] Ceolwulf, king of Mercia, was deprived of
his kingdom.

[a.d. 822.] Burhelm and Muca, two most resolute ealdor-
men, were slain. A synod was held at a place called Clove-
sho. Deneberht bishop of the Hwiccas, died, and was
succeeded by Heaberht.

[a.d. 823.] The Britons were defeated at a place called
Gavulford (Camelford ?) by the men of Devonshire. Egbert,
king of Wessex, and Beornwulf, king of Mercia, fought a
battle at Ellandune, that is Ealla's-hill, and Egbert gained the
victory with great slaughter. In consequence, he soon after-
wards sent his sonEtliehvulf, andEalhstan, bishop of Sliorborne,
and his ealdorman Wulfliard, with a large army, into Kent,
who, immediately on their arriv.il, drove Baldred king of that
province from his kingdom. After tliese successes, the men
of Kent and Surrey, Sussex and Essex, voluntarily submitted
to king Egbert; those provinces having been wrested in fonner

E

50 FLORENCE OF AVORCESTER. [a.D. 824 — 827.

times from the hands of his kinsmen, and reluctantly compelled
to sul.)mit to the yoke of alien kings for the space of some
years. The East- Angles, also, with their king, sent envoys to
Egbert, king of Wessex, imploring him to be their protector
and tower of defence against the hostile inroads of the
Mercians; which petition he granted, and promised them
his ready aid in all emergencies. However, Beornwulf, king
of ^lercia, treated this compact with contempt, and assembling
a considerable army entered the territories of the East- Angles
in a hostile manner, and began to put to death their principal
people; but their king advanced against the enemy at the
head of his forces, and giving them battle, put king Beorn-
wulf and the greatest part of his army to the sword: his
kinsman Ludecan succeeded to his Idngdom.

[a.D. 824.]

[a.D. 82o.] Ludecan, Idng of Mercia, having assembled
his forces, marched his army into the province of the East-
Angles, to revenge the death of his predecessor Beornwulf.
The people of that country with their king speedily en-
countered him, and a desperate battle was fought, in which
Ludecan and live of liis ealdormen, and great numbers of his
troops fell, and the rest took to flight : Witilaf succeeded to
the honours of his kingdom.

[a.D. 826.]

[a.D. 827.] There was an eclipse of the moon on the holy
night of the Nativity of our Lord.^ The same year, Egbert,
king of Wessex reduced the kingdom of Mercia under his
own dominion. Then he extended his expedition to the
further side of the river Humber. The Northumbrians met
Jiim in peaceful guise at a place called Dore, and offered him
terms of alliance and humble submission ; and so they parted
witli great satisfaction on both sides.

This king Egbert was the eighth among the Idngs of the
English nations who ruled over all their southern provinces,
separated by the river Humber and neighboiu-ing boundaries
from those which lie to the north. The first who held this
•extended dominion was ^Ua, Idng of the East-Saxons ; the
second Celin, king of the West-Saxons, called in their
dialect Ceaulin ; the thu"d was Ethelbert, king of Kent ; the

1 This eclipse happened on the 25th December, 828.

A.D. 828 — 835.] THE bretwaldas. 51

fourth wiis Redwald, king of the Ecost- Anglos, who governed
that peoj)le as ealdorman even in Ethelbert's liie-tinie ; the
fifth was Edwin, king of the Xorthmnbriaii tribes, that is,
those who dwelt to ihe north of the river Huiiiber, the most
powerful of all the settlers in Britain. Redw :dd's dominion
extended o\'er the whole population, both Engl!:^h and British,
except that of Kent ; and he subjected to English rule the
ISIenavian islands which lie between Ireland and EnglancL
The sixth monarch of all England, he himself being the most
christian kuig of Xorthiunbria, was Oswald. The seventh
was Oswy, who for a time maintained his supremacy within
nearly the same limits, and to a very great extent subjugated
the Picts and Scots who inhabit the northern extremities of
Britain, making them tributaries. The eighth, as we have
already stated, was king Egbert. In liis time, as it is re-
ported, St. Swithin was born, who, sprung from a noble Ime
of ancestors, when liis youthful years were passed, was ad-
mitte<l to holy orders by St. Helmstan, bishop of Winchester.
King Egbert also committed his son Ethel wuJf to his care for
instruction in sacred learning.

[a.d. 828.] King Witglaf was reinstated in his kingdom
of Mercia. Heathorcd, bishop of Luidisfarne, died, and was
succeeded by Ecgred. Egbert, king of Wessex, led an army
into the territory of the Northern Britons, and in spite of then*
opposition reduced them to subjection.

[a.d. 829.] Wulfred, archbishop of Canterbury, died.

[a.d. 830.] Ceolnoth was elected and consecrated arch-
bishoj).

[a.d. 831.]

[a.d. 832.] The Danish pu-ates, greedy for plunder, ravaged
the isle of Sheppy.

[a.d. 833.] Egbert, king of Wessex, engaged the pirates
at Carrum (C'harmouth) with thirty-five ships, but after great
<?arnage in the battle the Danes remained victors-

[a.d. 834.]

[a.d. 835.] The Danes made a descent with a powerful
fleet on the territory of the Britons in the West, which is called
Curvallia (Cornwall) ; the Britons made an alliance with them,
and, uniting their forces, they laid Avaste the borders of king
Egbert's dominions. Receiving intelligence of this, Egbert
assembled his troops in great haste, and i^iving the enemy

1^2

o2 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 836 — 844.

battle at a place called Hengestesdun, that is Hengist's-mount,
he slew many of them and put the rest to flight.

[a.D. 830.*] Egbert, king of Wessex, died. He had been
driven out of England by Offa king of Mercia, and Bertrie
king of Wessex, before he became king, and went to France,
where he sojoumed three years: he then returned to England,
and on Berhtric's death assumed the go^-ermnent of Wessex, as
already mentioned. After Egbert's death his son Ethelwulf
began to reign in Wessex, and made his son Athelstan king
over the people of Kent, Essex, Surrey, and Sussex.

[a.D. 837.] Wulfhard, the ealdorman, attacked a piratical
fleet of thirty-four ships at Hamtun (Southampton), and gained
t!io victory with great slaughter : he died soon afterwards.
Ethelhelm, the ealdorman, with the assistance of the people of
Dorsetslure, engaged in a battle with the Danes in the terri-
tory of Port (Portland island), and compelled them to a long
retreat, during which he received a mortal womid, and the
Danes got the victory. In the reign of king Ethelwulf, St.
Hehnstan, the bishop, departed this life; and by the king's
command St. Swithin became his successor.

[a.D. 838.] Hercberht, the ealdorman, and vast numbers of
the Mercians, at the same time, were slain by the heathen
Danes. The same year multitudes were put to the sword by
the same party in the pro\ince of Lindsey in East-Anglia, and
in Kent. Witglaf king of Mercia died, and was succeeded
by Beorhtwulf.

[a.D. 839.] There was an eclipse of the sun on the third
of the nones [the 5th] of May, being the eve of Ascension-
day, between the eighth and ninth hour. The Pagans, so
often mentioned, slaughtered numbers in London, Cwentawic,^
and Rochester.

[a.D. 840.] Ethelwulf, king of Wessex, engaged with
thirty-five ships at Charmouth, but the fortune of the Danes
prevailed over the Saxons.

[a.D. 841—844.]

^ "Quentavich the ancient name of Etaples, or St. Josse-sur-mer,
between Boulogne and St. Yalery. However one MS. of the Saxon
Chronicle reads ' Cant wara-by rig,' and two MSS. ' Cantwic,' which
readings, together with the place being named in conjunction with
London and Eochester, render it very probable that Canterbury is
meant, and not the little French sea-port." — Thorpe.

A.D. 84:5 849.] KING ALFRED BORN. 53

[a.d. 845.] Eanwulf, the ealdorman, Avitb the men of
Somerset and Ealhstan, bishop of Sherborne, and Osric the
ealdorman, witli tlie men of Dorset, fought witli the Danish
anny at the mouth of the river Pedridan (tlie Parret), and
having made great slaughter amongst them, gained the victory.
Eegrid, bishop of Lindisfarne, died, and vvas succeeded by
Eanbert.

[a.d. 846, 847.]

[a.d, 848.] Heaberht, the bishop of the Hwicea*, died, and
Alhhun succeeded.

[a.d. 849.] Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, was born at
the royal vill called Wanating, (Wantage), in Berrocescire,
■which is so called from the wood of Berroc, where the box-tree
grows in great abundance. His genealogy runs in the follovving
order : — Alfred was the son of king of Ethelwulf, who was the
son of Egbert, who was the son of Alhmund, who was the
son of Eafa, who was the son of Eoppa, who was the son of
Ingils. Ingils, and Ina, the famous king of Wessex, were
brothers ; Ina went to Rome, and ending the present life there
in great honour, departed to his country in heaven to reign
with Christ. These two were the sons of Coenred, who was
tlie son of Ceolwald, who was the son of Cutha, who was the
son of Cutliwine, who was the son of Ceaulin, who was the son of
Cynric, who was the son of Creoda, who was the son of Cerdic,
who was the son of Elesa, who was the son of Esla, who was
the son of Gewis, from whom the Britons call the whole
nation Gewissa?. Gewis was the son of Wig, who was the
son of Freawine, who was the son of Freothegar, who was the
son of Brand, who was the son of Bealdeag, who was the son
of Woden, who was the son of Frithowald, who was the son of
Frcalaf, who was the son of Frithwulf, who was the son of
Finn, who was the son of Godulf, who was the son of Geata,
iv'ho was formerly worshipped ])y the Pagans as a god. Geata
was the son of Tajtwa, who was the son of Beaw, who was
the son of Sceldwea, who was the son of Heremond, who was the
son C)f Itermod, who was the son of Hathra, wlio was the son
of Wala, who was the son of Beadwig, who wjis the son of
Shem, who was the son of Noah, who was the son of Lamech,
who was th(^ son of Methuselah, who was the son of P^noch,
who was the son of Jared, who was the son of Malaleel, who
was the son of Cainan, who was the son of Enos, who was the

04 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 850, 851.

son of Sotli, who was the son of Adam. His mother's name
was Osburh ; she was a woman of eminent piety, noble
both in mind and lineage, being the daughter of Oslae, the
renowned cup-bearer of king Ethelwiilf; which Oslac was
of Gothic race. He was sprung from the Groths and Jutes,
beino- descended from Stuf and Whitgar, two brothers, and
also earls, who having received the dominion of the Isle of
Wight from their uncle Cerdic, and his son Cynric their
cousin, massacred the few British inhabitants they found in the
island at a place called Whitgaraburh (Carisbrook). The rest
of the native inhabitants of the island had been either slain
before, or driven into exile.

[a.D. 850.] Berhtferth, son of Beorhtwulf, Idng of Mercia,
unjustly put to death his cousin St. Wigstan on the calends
[the 1st] of June, being the eve of Whitsuntide. He was
grandson of two of the kings of Mercia, his father Wigmund
being the son of king Wiglaf, and his mother Elfrida, the
daughter of king Ceolwulf. His corpse was carried to a
monastery which was famous in that age called Repton, and
buried in the tomb of his grandfather king Wiglaf. Miracles
from heaven were not wanting in testimony of his martyrdom ;
for a column of light shot up to heaven from the spot where
the innocent saint was murdered, and remained visible to the
inhabitants of that place for thirty days.

[a.D. 851.] Ceorl, the ealdorman, with the men of Devon-
shire, fought against the Pagans, at a place called Wicgan-
beorh (Wemburg), and the Christians gained the victory. In
tlie same year, the Pagans wintered for the first time in the
isle of Sheppey,^ which means the island of sheep. It is
situated in the river Thames, between Essex and Kent, but
nearer Kent than Essex, and a noble monaster}'- stands in it.
The same year a great army of Pagans came vrith three hun-
dred and fifty ships into the Inouth of the river Thames, and
ravaged Canterbury, which is the chief city of Kent, and
London which stands on the north bank of the river Thames,
on the borders of Essex and Middlesex, though, in truth, that
city belongs to Essex. They put to flight Beorhtwulf king of
Mercia who had advanced to give them battle, with all his forces.

^ The Saxon Chronicle, which says in the Isle of Thanet, is appa-
rently correct, as it places thejirst wintering of the Danes in Sheppy,
A.D. 855.

A.D. 852, 853.] KING ETIIELWULF. 55

After these events, the same body of Pagans crossed into
Surrey, which lies on the south bank of the river Thames, to
the westward of Kent ; and Etliehvulf king of Wessex, and
his son Etlielbald, with their whole army, had a protracted
engagement with them, at a place called Ocklcy, which means
the Field of Oaks. The armies on both sides fought for a
long time with the greatest ardour and animosity, but at last
the greatest part of the Pagan host was utterly routed and
put to the sword ; so much so that we have never heard of so
many of them being slain in any quarter, on one day, either
before or since ; and the Christians gained a glorious victor}^
and remained masters of the field of death. The same year,
also, king Athelstan and Ealliere, the ealdorman, defeated a
large body of the Pagans in Kent, at a place called Sand-
-vTieh, and took nine ships of their fleet : the rest escaped by
flight.

[a.d. 852.] King Beorhtwulf, king of Mercia, died ; and
Burhred succeeded to the throne.

[a.d. 853.] Burhred, king of Mercia, sent envoys toEthel-
widf, king of Wessex, beseeching him to afford him aid in
reducing to subjection the Britons who inhabited the central
districts between IMercia and the western sea, who stoutly
resisted him. Ethelwulf lost no time, after he receixed
this message, in putting his army in march, advancing into the
territory of tlie Britons in company with king Burhred, and
as soon as he entered it he laid waste the country and
forced the people to submit to the dominion of Burhred:
having accomplished this he returned home.

This same year, king Ethelwulf sent his son Alfred, before
mentioned, to Rome, with great pomj), and a numerous retinue,
both of nobles and commoners. Pope Leo, at l)is father's
request, consecrated and anointed him king, and receiving him
as his son by adoption, confirmed him.

The same year also, Ealhere, the ealdorman, with the men
of Kent, and Huda, with those of Surry, fought with vigour
and courage against the Pagan army in the island, which is
called in the Saxon language Tenet, but in the British Iluim.
At first th(,' Britons ha<l the advantage, but the struggle being
protrarted, many on botii sides were killed on the spot, and
others driven into the water and droxvned; and l)oth the ealdor-
men perished. Moreover, the same year, Ethelwulf, king of

OG FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 854, 855.

Wessox, gave his daughter as queen to Burhred, king of Mercia,
the nuptials being celebrated with princely pomp at the royal
\ill called Cippenham.

[a.D. 854.] On the death of Eanbert, bishop of Lindis-
ftirne, he was succeeded by Eardulph.

[a.D. 855.] A great army of the Pagans passed the whole
winter in the aforesaid isle of Sheppey. In the same year
king Ethelwulf released the tenth part of his whole kingdom
from all royal service and tribute, and by a charter, signed
^vith Christ's Cross, offered it for ever to the One and Triune
God, for the redemption of his soul and of those of his prede-
cessors. He then went to Kome in great state, taking with him
his son Alfred, whom he loved more than the others, and who
now went for the second time ; and he abode there a whole year.
On its expiration, he returned to his own country, bringing
with him Judith, daughter of Charles, king of the Franks.
Meanwhile, however, during the short period of king Ethel-
wulf's sojourn beyond sea, a disgraceful affair, opposed to all
Christian rules, occurred at Selwood, in the west of England.
For king Ethelwald, with Eahlstan bishop of Sherborne, and
Eanwulf, ealdorman of Somersetshire, are said to have formed
a conspiracy to prevent king Ethelwulf from re-assuming the
government of his kingdom, if he ever returned from Borne.
This unfortimate business, such as was unheard of in any
former age, is attributed by very many persons to the bishop
and ealdorman only, by whom they assert the scheme was
contrived. Many persons, however, say that it had its origin
solely in the king's haughtiness, for, as we have heard it re-
lated by some persons, the king obstinately persisted in that
as well as in many other perverse dispositions, as was proved
by the issue of the affair. For when king Ethelwulf returned
from Rome, his before-named son, with his counsellors, or
rather intriguers, attempted to commit the grievous crime of
forcibly refusing the king's re-admission into his own do-
minions. Eut God did not permit it, nor would the unite<l
Saxon nobles concur in the proposal ; for, to prevent Saxony
(Wessex) from being exposed to the irremediable danger of
hostiUties between father and son, nay more, of the whole
of the nation being in arms for one or the other, and this
sort of civil war growing every day more fierce and bloody,
the kingdom, which had been hitherto one entire realm, was,

A.D. 855.] ETIIELWULF*S QUEEN, JUDITH. 57

througli Ethelwulf's great easiness of temper, and ^vith tlie
concurrence of the nobles, divided between the father and the
son ; the eastern districts being allotted to the father, and the
western to the son. Thus, where the father ought by all
rules of justice to have reigned, the ini([uitous and wilful son
establislied his ])ower, for the western part of Saxony has
always had the i)re-eminence over the eastern. So, when king
Ethelwulf arrived from Rome, all that people were verr
pro})erly so delighted at the return of their old king, that
they Avished, if he would have allowed it, to deprive his
fro ward son Ethel wald, and his ad\'isers, of any sliare in the
kingdom. But he, as we have already said, actuated by his
excessi\e gentleness and by prudent comisels, to prevent
j)eril to the kingdom, would not allow it to be done ; but he
made Judith, daughter of king Charles, from whom he had
received her in marriage, to sit beside him on the royal
throne, as long as he lived, without any controversy or enmity
from his nobles, contrary to the perverse custom of that
nation. Eor the West-8axon people do not allow a queen to
sit by the king's side, nor even give her the title of queen,
calling her only the king's wife ; which controversy, or stigma,
originated from a certain froward and evil-minded queen of
tliat nation, as our elders thus report : — There was recently
in Mercia a certain powerful king named Oft'a, whose daughter,
Eadburli, was married, as we have said l)efore, to Berhtric,
king of Wessex, who \ery soon began to act tyrannically,
doing all things hateful to God and man, and accusing all she
could ])efore the king, so as to deprive them insidiously of
their life or power ; and if she could not procure the king's
consent, she used to take them oft' by poison. This is ascer-
tained to have been the case with a certain young man who
was much loved by the king, whom she poisoned because the
king would not listen to her accusations against him. It is
also said that king Berhtric unwittingly tasted some portion
of the ])oison, although she did not intend it for the king, but
for the young man only ; but the king took the cup first, and
so both perished. In consequence of this queen's atrocities,
all the inhabitants of that country swore together that they
would not surt'er anv kinG: to reiij:n over them who should
command his queen to sit beside hun on the throne. Berlitric
being dead, as the queen could no longer remain among the

58 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 855.

Saxons, she sailed over the sea with immense treasures, and
went to the court of Charles, the renowned Idng of the
Franks. As she stood in the presence chamber, offering him
rich presents, Charles said to her, " Choose, Eadburh, which
you prefer, me or my son who stands beside me in the
chamber.'' She foolishly replied, without a moment's thought,
** If I am to have my choice, I prefer your son, because he is
younger than you." Charles replied, with a smile, " If you
had chosen me, you should have had my son ; but as you have
chosen him you shall have neither of us." However, he gave
her a large abbey of nuns, where, liaving laid aside the secular
dress and assumed the monastic habit, she discharged the
duties of abbess for a very few years; for having been
debauched by some layman, she was expelled from the
monastery by Idng Charles's order, and passed the rest of her
days in want and misery.^

King Ethelwulf lived two years after his return from
Rome ; during which, among many other good deeds of this
present life, reflecting on his departure according to the way
of ail flesh, to prevent liis sons indecently quarrelling after his
death, he ordered letters testamentary to be written, in which
he divided his kingdom between his two eldest sons, Ethelbald
and Ethelbert, and his private inheritance between all his sons
and his daughter, as well as his relations ; he also gave
directions in the same instrument for the due distribution of
the money he might leave behind him for the good of his
soul, and among his sons and his nobles. For the good of his
soul, which he had carefully studied on all occasions from
his earliest youth, he ordered that his heirs should, out of
every two families on his hereditary domains, supply one
poor person, either native or foreigner, with meat, drink, and
clothing, for ever afterwards, until the day of doom ; provided
that the land was inhabited and stocked with cattle, and not
lying waste. He also directed that the sum of three hundred
mancuses should be yearly remitted to Rome, to be there
distributed in the following manner, -vdz., one hundred
mancuses, in honour of St. Peter, to be specially applied in
purchasing oil for fillmg all the lamps of the apostolical church

^ One MS. adds, " So that, at last, acccompauied by one poor ser-
vant, as we have heard from many who saw her, she begged her bread
daily at Pavia, where she lived in great misery."

A.D. 856 864.] ST. EDMUND — ETHELBALD ETIIELBERT. 59

on Easter-eve, and also at cock-crowing; one hundred nianeiises
in honour of St Paul, the apostle, for the same purpose ; and
one hundred niancuses to the catholic and apostlic pope.

Kinix Ethelwulf having- died on the ides [the 18th] of
January, and l>een huried at Winchester, his son Ethelbald,
contrary to the divine prohibition and Christian honour,
and even the customs of all Pagan nations, ascended his
father's l>ed, and marrie<:l Judith, the daughter of Charles,
kin? of the Franks ; and thus licentiouslv governed the
kingdom of Wessex for two years and a half after his father's
death.

8t. Edmund, a man accepted by God, and descended
from the Old-Saxon race, who was most truly devoted to the
Christian faith, aiflible and courteous to all men, remarkable for
his hiunility, a generous benefactor to the poor, and a most
kind father to or])hans and widows, took the government of
the province of East-Anglia.

[a.d. 856—859.]

[a.d. 860.] King Ethell)ald die«l and was buried at
Sherborne ; and his brother Ethelbert, as was right, joined
Kent, Surrey, and vSussex, to his own kingdom. In his days,
a large army of Pagans came up from the sea, and assaulted
and sackeil the city of Winchester ; but as they were return-
ing to their ships laden with plunder, Osric, the ealdorman
of Hants, with his people, and Ethelwulf, the ealdorman,
with the men of Berks, boldly encountered them, and, battle
being joined, the Pagans were put to the sword in every
direction, and, being unable to make a longer resistance, fled
like women, and the Christians remained masters of the field
of death. Ethel1)ert having governed his kingdom five years
in p<:'ace, with the love and respect of his subjects, went the
way of all flesh, to their universal sorrow, and was honourably
inteiTcd at Sherlx>rne, where he lies bv the side of his ]>rother.

[a.d. 861.]

[a.d. 862.] vSt. S within was translated to heaven on
Thursday the sixth of the nones [the 2nd] of July.

[a.d. 863.]

[a.d. 864-.] The Pagans wintered in the Isle of Thanet,
and made a close alliance with the men of Kent, who i)romis<.'d
to ])ay them tribute if they kept the compact ; but the
Pagans, breaking the treaty, stole out of their camp by night.

00 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER. [a.D. 865 — 868.

like foxes, and regardless of the promised tribute, as they
knew thev could gain more by surreptitious robbery than by
observin^*^ the peace, ravaged the whole eastern coast of Kent.
[a.D. 865.]

[a.D. 866.] Ethered, brother of king Ethelbert, succeeded
to the kingdom of Wessex. The same year a large fleet of
the Pagans came to Britain from Denmark, and wintered
in the kingdom of the East-Angles, which is called in the
8axon tongue, East Engle, and there the greatest part of
tlieir troops procured horses.

[a.D. 867.] The army of Pagans before mentioned,
marched from amongst the East-Angles to the city of York,
which stands on the north bank of the river Humber. At
that time great dissentions had arisen among the North-
umbrians, by the devil's instigation, as always happens to
a people who have incurred Grod's wrath. For the !N^orth-
umbrians had then, as we have related, driven out their
I'ightful king, Osbriht, and raised to the throne a tyrant
named ^lla, who was not of the royal race ; but by Divine
Providence, and the exertions of the nobles for the common
good, the discord was somewhat allayed on the approach of
the Pagans, and Osbriht and -^lla, uniting their forces and
assembling an army, marched to York. The Pagans fled at
their approach, and attempted to defend themselves within
the city walls. The Christians, witnessing their flight and
alarm, pressed forward in pursuit, and set to work to break
down the walls, which they eflected ; for that city was not
fortified by strong walls in those times. The Christians
having succeeded in making a breach in the w^all, and great
numbers of them having entered the town pell-mell w^ith the
enemy, the Pagans, driven to despair, charged them fiercely,
and overthrew, routed, and cut them down, both within and
without the walls. Almost all the Northumbrian troops,
with the two kings, fell in this battle; the remainder who
escaped made peace with the Pagans.

In the same year died Ealhstan, who had been bishop of
Sherborne fifty years, and was buried there.

[a.D. 868.] A comet was very plainly \asible this year.

Alfred, the revered ' king, who held then a subordinate
station, demanded and obtained in marriage a Mercian lady
of noble birth, being the daughter of Ethelred, surnamed

A.D. 8G9, 870.] KING Alfred's marriage. GI

!Mueil, ealdonnan of tlio Gaini. Her mother's name was
Kadburli, of the royal race of the Mercian kings, a lady
imich venerated, wlio for many years after her Inisband's '
death remained a most chaste widow to the end of her
days.

The same year the before mentioned army of Pagans,
quitting Northumbria, entered Mercia, and advanced to
Nottingham, called in the Britisli tongue, Tigguocobauc, but
in Latin, '' The House of Caves," and they passed the winter
there. On their approach, Burhred, king of Mercia, and all
the nobles of that nation, sent messengers forthwith to
Ethered, king of Wessex, and his brother Alfred, earnestly
entreating them to render them such succour as would enable
them to give battle to the aforesaid army. Their request was
readily granted ; for the brothers, making no delay in fulfill-
ing their promise, assembled a vast army from all parts, and
entering Mercia advanced to Nottingham, unanimously
desiring a battle. But the Pagans, sheltering themselves
Anthin the fortifications, refused to fight, and as the Christians
were unable to make a breach in the wall, peace was made
between the Mercians and the Pagans, and the two brothei*s,
Ethered and Alfred, returned home with their troops. The
oratory of St. Andrew, the apostle, at Kemsege* was biult, and
consecrated by Alhun, bishoj) of "Worcester.

[a.d. 869.] The aforesaid cavalry of the Pagans, riding-
back to Northumbria, reached York, and was quartered there
for a whole year.

[a.d. 870.] The before mentioned army of the Pagans
passed through Mercia into East-Anglia, and wintered there
at a place called Thetford.

In the same year Edmund, the most holy and glorious king
of the East-Angles, was mart\Tcd by king Inguar, an in-
veterate heathen, on the twelfth of the calends of December
[20th November], being Sunday, the second indiction, as we
read in his Passion. In this year also Ccolnoth, archbishop

^ All the printed editions read patris ; but one of the MS. has vlri,
uhifh must be tbe right reading.

- J'robably Kempsey, near Worcester. This is one of the notices,
not found in otber clironiclos, wbicli was probably gathered by
I'lorunce from the records of his own mouaslery, or from local in-
I'orniatiou.

<J2 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 871,

of Cariterhiuy died, and was buried in peace in that city ; he
was succeeded by that reverend man Ethered.

[a.D. 871.] The Pagan army, of hateful memory, quitting
East-Anglia and entering the kingdom of Wessex, came to
the vill of Eeading, situated on the south bank of the river
Thames in tiie district called Berksliire. And there, on the
third day after their arrival, two of their chiefs, with great
part of their forces, rode out to plunder the country, while
the rest were throwing up a rampart between the rivers
Thames and Kennet on the right of the said royal vill. They
were encountered by Ethelwuif, eaklorman of Berkshire, and
his men, at a place called in English, Englefeld, and in Latin,
*' The Field of the Angles," where both sides fought bravely ;
but after both armies had maintained their ground a long time,
one of the Pagan chiefs being slain, and the greater part of
their army cut to pieces, the rest saved themselves by flight,
and the Christians gained the victory, remaining masters of
the Held of death. Four days after these events, king
Ethered and his brother Alfred, having assembled troops and
united their forces, marched to Reading ; and have succeeded
in forcing their way to the castle-gate, by slaying and over-
throwing ail the Pagans they met with outside the fortifica-
tions, the Pagans, nevertheless, salMed out, like wolves, from
all the gates and fought with the utmost desperation. The
combat was long and sharply contested on both sides ; but, sad
to say, the Christians at last turned their backs, and the Pagans
obtaining the victory remained masters of the field of blood.
Ethelwuif the before named eaklorman was among the slain.

Roused by grief and shame at this defeat, the Christians,
four days afterwards, renewed the engagement against the
same army, with all their forces and right good-will, at a place
called -^scesdun, which signifies in Latin " The Mount of the
Ash " (Ashdown). The Pagans, dividing themselves into two
bodies, drew up in two equal columns, for they had with
them two kings and many earls, allotting the centre of the
army to the two kings and the rest to the earls. The
Christians, observing tliis, arrayed their troops also in two
di\dsion8, losing no time in forming the columns. Alfred was
the first to lead his men promptly to the field of battle, for
his brother, king Ethered, was then engaged at his devotions
in his tent, hearing mass, and he positively declared that he

A.D. 871.] ETIIERED AND ALFRED'S VICTORIES. G3

would not quit it until the priest had finished the mass, and
omit the service of God to attend to his duty to man. He
persisted in this, and the fjiith of the Cliristian king availed
him mucli with God, as will more fully appear in the sequel.
Now the Clu-istians had determined that king Kthered, with
his di\ision, should attack the two Pagan kings, but his
brother Alfred was instructed to take the chances of war with
his own troops against all the Pagan earls. Things having been
thus arrayed on both sides, and the king being still engaged
in his devotions, while the Pagans advanced rapidly under
arms to the field of battle, Alfred, who was second in com-
mand, finding that he could no longer sustain the enemy's
onset, without either retreating or charging them in turn
before his brother's arrival, at last, putting himself manfully
at the liead of the Christian forces drawn up as before
aiTanged, he formed a close cohmm without waiting for the
king, and, relying on God's counsels and support, advanced
his standards against the enemy. At length king Ethered,
ha\'ing finished liis prayers, came up, and invoking the aid of
the flighty lluler of the world, plunged into the fight. But
here we must inform those who are ignorant of the locality,
that the field of battle w^as not equally favourable to both
armies, for the Pagans occupied the higher ground, and the
Christians had to direct their march from a lower level. We
may also remark that there stood on the spot a solitary thorn-
tree of stunted growth (I have seen it with my own eyes),
round which the hostile armies engaged in the combat with
loud cries ; the one party to work their wicked ends, the other
to fight for their lives, for their country, and for those who
were dear to them. After both armies had fought bravely,
and with great fierceness, for a considerable time, the Pagans,
by the judgment of God, were no longer able to sustain the
attacks of the Christians, and having lost the greatest part of
their troops retreated with tlisgnice. One of their two kings
and five of their earls fell on the field of battle, and many
thousands of their army were dispersed and slain over the
whole j)lain of Ashdown. Thus perished king Bagsecg, earl
Sidroc the elder, and earl Sidroc the younger, earl Osbern,
earl Fra*na, and earl Harold ; and the whole Pagan army fled
until night, and even the next day, until they reached the
-stronghold from which they had sallied forth.

64 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 871.

Fourteen days afterwards, king Ethered and his brother
Alfred having again united their forces to give battle to the
Pagans marched to Basing, and upon the armies meeting,
after a long' engagement, the Pagans gained the victory.
Again, after two months had elapsed, king Ethered with his
brother Alfred fought against the Pagans, who were in two
(li\isions at Merton, and for a long time they had the advan-
tage, having routed the enemy ; but the Pagans rallied, and
gained the victory, remaining masters of the field of death,
after great slaughter on both sides.

The same year, after Easter, on the ninth of the calends of
May [23rd April], king Ethered went the way of all flesh,
having governed his kingdom bravely, honourably, and in
good repute for five yeai's, through much tribulation : he was
buried at Winborne, where he waits the coming of the Lord,
and tlie first resurrection with the just. On his death, the
before named Alfred, who had hitherto, while his brothers were
alive, held only a subordinate rank, at once succeeded to the
throne of the whole kingdom, to the entire satisfaction of all
the people. I think it convenient to insert in this place a
brief notice of his childhood and youth.

He was exceedingly beloved both by his father and mother,
even more than his brothers, and not only so, but he was the
general favourite among all ranks ; and being never separated
from his parent-s was brought up entirely in the court of his
father. As he advanced in years, during infancy and youth,
he grew up more comely in form, and more graceful in aspect,
as well as in all his words and actions, than the rest of his
brothers ; but, alas ! through the neglect of his parents
and nurses, he did not learn to read until he was twelve years
old. Yet, he listened with intelligence, day and night, to the
Saxon poems which were frequently recited to him by others,
and committed them with facility to his docile memory. He
was expert and successful beyond all his rivals in every branch
of the huntsman's craft, as in all the rest of God's gifts.
When, therefore, on some occasion, his mother w^as showing
him and his brothers a book of Saxon poetry which she held
in her hand, and said, " I will give this book to whichever of
you shall first learn (to read) it," incited by this ofier, or
rather inspired by heaven, and attracted by the beautifully-
illuminated initial-letter of the volume, Alfred said to his

A.D. 850 — SCO.] KING Alfred's youth. 65

mother. '• Will you really give that book to such one of us as
can first understand it and re])eat it to you?" She smiled at
this, and re[>lied, " I will, indeed, give it to him." Upon this
lie took the book from her hand, and went to his master and
began reading it ; and when he had read it through he brought
it l>ack to his mother and recited it to her. After this he
learnt the daily course, consisting of certain psalms and a
number of prayers ; these were collected in a volume, whicli
he carried about with him in his bosom for his devotions, by
day and by night, during all the fleeting course of this present
life. But, sad to say, he was unable to gratify his most ardent
wish of learning the liberal arts, as at that time there were no
grammarians in all the kingdom of the West-Saxons.

While he was still in the flower of youth, and sought to
strengthen his resolutions to observe the Divine laws, but felt
that he could not altogether rid himself of carnal desires, it
was his custom, that he might not incur God's displeasure by
doing anything contrary to His will, to rise very often in
secret at cockcrow and the hour of matins, and resort to the
churches and relics of the saints for the purpose of prayer,
and there kneeling long he besought Abnighty God, in his
mercy, to strengthen his determination to devote himself to
His ser\ice by some infirmity which he might be able to bear,
but which would not be disgraceful or inifit him for his worldly
duties. Having often implored this with earnest devotion, he
was a short time afterwards, God granting his prayer, aiflicted
with piles ; and the disorder became so severe in the course of
years, that even his life was despaired of. It happened,
howe\er, providentially, that while hunting in Cornwall, ho
turned aside to offer his devotion in a certain church in which
the remains of St. Gueriir repose, and where St. Neot also lies.
Prostrating himself for a long time in silent prayer, he entreated
God's mercy, that in His unbounded love He would relieve
him from the tortures of his present painful disease, and give
him in exchange some lighter infirmity ; provided that it
did not appear outwardly, lest he should become an object
of contempt and unfitted for active services. Having finished
his ])rayer ho proceeded on his road, and shortly afterwards
found himself, by Divine aid, completely cured of his disorder,
according to his supplications. But, alas! when he was
relieved from that, another still more acute seized him on the

F

66 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 871.

day of his marriage, and incessantly harassed him day and
night from his twentieth to his forty-fifth year, and more.

He had by his before-mentioned wife, Ealswitha, the
following sons and daguhters : — Ethelflede, his first-born child,
then Edward, then Ethelgeovii, afterwards Elfthryth, and then
Ethel ward. Ethelflede, when she became marriageable, was
united to Ethered, ealdorman of Mercia ; Ethelgeovu, having
made a vow of chastity, and becoming a nun, devoted herself
to the service of God according to the rules of monastic life.
Ethelward, the youngest of all, by the holy purpose and
admirable provision of the king, vv^as placed under the care of
diligent masters, as were also the nobles of nearly all the
kingdom, and many of the lower order, that they might
receive instruction in the liberal arts before they were strong
enough for the business of the world. Edward and Elfthryth
were brought up at their father's court, but they received
a liberal education, and, besides their worldly exercises and
studies, they learnt with care the Psalms and Saxon books, and
especially Saxon poems.

In the midst of wars and the frequent hindrances of the
present life, the irruptions of tlie Pagans, and his daily in-
firmities of body, Idng Alfred, single-handed, and, as well as
his strength would allow, unremittingly devoted hunself to the
government of his kingdom, the exercise of hunting in its
various forms, the superintendence of his goldsmiths and other
artificers, as well as those who had charge of his falcons,
hawks, and hounds ; the building, by the aid of machinery
invented by himself, of edifices more stately and costly than any
which had been erected by his predecessors in the style of
their age ; reading Saxon books, and especially committing to
memory Saxon poems, and enjoining such pursuits on those
around him. He heard mass daily, besides some psalms and
prayers, and observed the canonical hours of devotion day and
night ; and w^as wont to go alone by night, and frequent the
churches, eluding the observation of his attendants, for the
purpose of prayer. He was a bountiful almsgiver, afiable and
agreeable to all the world, and a close enquirer into hidden
things. Many Franks, Frisons, Gauls, Pagans, Britons, Scots,
and Armoricans, both of the nobility and commonalty, came
voluntarily and gave him their allegiance, all of whom he
treated as his native subjects, ruling them, loving them,

A.D. 871, 872.] KING ALFRED'S WARS. 67

honouring them, and heaping j)ower and wealth upon tliem,
according to their rank and worth. He manifested a wonder-
ful regard for his bishops and tlie whole ecclesiastical
order, his ealdonnen and nobles, his inferior officers and all
who were attached to his court ; having as much aiiection for
their sons, who were brought \i\) in the royal household, as he
had for his own, devoting liis time, day and night, in the midst
of his other avocations, to inculcate upon them virtuous habits
and the pursuit of learning.

About a month after he began his reign, with so much
reluctance, I may say — for he felt that without Divine aid he
should never be able to resist, single-handed, the severity of
the Pagan irruptions, since even when his brothers were alive,
he had suflered great losses — king Alfred, with a small and
very inadequate force, made a fierce attack on the whole army
of the Pagans on a hill called Wilton, on the south bank of
the Guilou, from which river the whole country takes its
name. ^Vhen both parties had sustained the combat in differ-
ent positions with vigour and bravery great part of the day,
the Pagans, perceiving that they were in imminent peril, and
could no longer withstand the enemy's impetuosity, took to
flight ; but, sad to relate, they took advantage of the too
great daring of their pursuers, and fjxcing round renewed the
fight, and, thus snatching a victory, remained masters of the
field of death. Let no one be sur]irised that the force of the
Christians in this engagement was so small, for the ranks of the
Saxons had been thinned in the eight battles they had fought
with the enemy in the course of a single year ; in which battles
one Pagan king and eight earls were slain, with vast numbers
of their troops, not to mention the countless attacks, by day
and night, with which king Alfred and the several ealdormen
of the nation with their followers, as well as many of the
king's thanes, had incessantly harassed the Pagans. God
only knows how many thousand of the enemy were destroyed
in these desultory attacks, besides those who were slain in the
eight battles already mentioned. The same year the (West)
Saxons made peace with the Pagans, on the terms that they
should depart their country, which condition they observed.
On the death of Cinefertii, bishop of Litclitield, Tunberht
succeeded.

[a.d. 872.] Alchun, bisho]) of the Hwiccas, having died,

F 2

68 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 873, 874.

Worefrith, a man learned in the Scriptures, who had been
brought up in the holy church of Worcester, was ordained
bishop by Etliercd, archbishop of Canterbury, on the seventh
of the ides [the 7th] of June, being Whitsunday. At king
Alfred's connnand, he made the first translation of the books
of Dialogues of pope St. Gregory, from the Latin into the
Saxon tongue, a Avork which he executed Avith great accuracy
and elegance. The king induced him, and also Plegmund, a
learned and venerable man, and a native of Mercia, who, in
course of time, was made archbishop of Canterbury, together
with Ethelstan and Werwif, two well educated Mercian priests,
to leave that province and come to him, and he advanced
them to high honours and station, that they might assist him
in his great object, the acquisition of learning. He also sent
euAoys to France, and invited over the venerable St. Grimbald,
priest and monk, who was an excellent chanter, thoroughly
versed in the Holy Scriptures and ecclesiastical discipline, and
of exemplary conduct. To him was added John, also a priest
and monk, a man of the most acute genius, and Asser, who
was summoned from the monastery of St. David, on the
furthest border of Britain in the West. Under the teaching
of all these learned men the object of the king's desire was
so daily advanced and accomplished that in a short time he
acquired universal knowledge. The before-mentioned army
of Pagans went to London, and wintered there ; and the
Mercians made peace with them.

[a.D. 873.] The army so often mentioned evacuated Lon-
don, and marching as far as the province of Northumbria,
wintered there m the district of Lindsey, and the Mercians
renewed their treaty of peace with them.

[a.D. 874.] Quitting Lindsey, the Pagan army entered
Mercia, and wmtered at Eepton. It also compelled, by main
force, Burhred, king of Mercia, to abandon his kingdom, and
crossing the sea he went to Rome in the twenty-second year
of his reign. He did not long survive his arrival at Rome,
and dying there he received honourable interment in the
church of St. Mary in the Saxon School, where he waits oui-
Lord's advent, and the first resurrection of the just. After
his expulsion, the Pagans reduced to subjection the whole
kingdom of Mercia. However, they placed the province, in a
miserable state, in the keeping of a weak thane, whose name

A.D. 875, 87G.] KING Alfred's wars. C9

■vvas Ceol^^1llf, on condition that ho should give it up to them
peaceably "vvhenever they required. He delivered hostages to
them for the performance of this condition, and SAvore that he
would in no wise act contrary to their will, but submit to
tlieir commands on all occasions.

[a.d. 875.] The oft-mentioned army broke up from Repton
in two divisions. One of them went with Halfdeno into the
country of the Northumbrians, and, wintering there near the
river Tyne reduced the whole of Northumbria under its
dominion, and ravaged the lands of the Picts and Strathclyde
Britons. The other division, under Guthruy, Oskmtel, and
Amund, three kings of the Pagans, directed their march to
a place called Grantebrycge (Cambridge), and wintered there.
The same vear king Alfred fou2:ht a naval battle against six
ships of the Pagans, and took one of them, the rest sheering off.

[a.d. 876.] The oft-mentioned army of the Pagans sallied
forth from Cambridge in the night time, and took possession
of a castle called Wareham ; where there was an abbey of
nuns, between the two rivers Fraw and Terente (Frome and
Trent), in the district called by the Saxons Thornsa^t (Dorset),
and the site of which is very strong, except on the west side,
which is ojien to the land. With this army king Alfred
made a firm treaty, the condition of which was that they
should depart from his dominions ; and they gave him as many
hostages as he demanded without dispute, and swore on
all the relics, on which the king most confided, after God,
and on which they before refused to swear to any people,
tliat they would quit his kingdom as soon as tliey could.
Notwithstanding, false as ever, and regardless of their oath's
and hostages and the faith they had pledged, they broke the
treaty, and, killing all the king's horse-soldiers, stole away
suddenly to another place, called in the Saxon tongue,
Exanceastre, but in Latin, the city of Exe, and standing on
tlie eastern bank of that river near the southern sea which
flows between France and Britain. King Alfred, having
collected troops, went in i)ursuit, but they had already got
into tlie place before he could come up with them. How-
ever, ho extorted from them hostages of such cpiality and in
such nvnnl)ers as he chose, and made a firm treaty with tliem,
which they observed faithfully for some time ; and there they
wintered. The same year, the Pagan king Halfdene distri-

70 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 877, 878.

biited the territory of Northumbria between himself and his
followers, and established colonies of his soldiers on it. RoUo
and his band landed in Normandy on the fifteenth of the
calends of December [17th November].

[a.D. 877.] The Pagan army which had been left with the
fleet at Wareham sailed to Exeter, but before they reached that
place, one hundred and twenty of their ships were lost in a storm.
Autumn approaching, part of the Pagans sat down at Exeter ;
another division went into Mercia, and gave portions of it to
Ceohvulf, to whose keeping, as we have already said, they had
committed the province. Some part they shared among
themselves.

[a.D. 878.] The oft-named army, abandoning Exeter,
marched to Chippenham, a royal vill, situated in the left of
Wiltshire, where it wintered, compelling by their irruptions
many of the people of that district to take ship and cross the
sea in penury and consternation ; but the greatest part of the
inhabitants were reduced to submit to their yoke. At that
time king Alfred, with a few of his nobles and some of his
vassals, led a life of alarm and severe distress in the woods
and marshes of Somersetshire ; for he had no means of sub-
sistence but what he seized by frequent incursions, either
by lurking about or using open violence, from the Pagans, and
even such of the Christians as had submitted to them.

The same year, the brother of Inguar and Halfdene having
wintered in Demetia^ and made great havoc among the Chris-
tians, crossed over with twenty-three ships to the coast of Devon,
and there was slain, with twelve hundred of his followers, w^ho
thus perished miserably in their wicked aggression before the
stronghold of Cynuit, in which many of the king's thanes had
shut themselves up with their families as a place of refuge.
But the Pagans, seeing that the place was quite unprepared,
and had no fortifications except ramparts thrown up after our
fashion, made no attempt to eftect a breach, because it was
impregnable from its natural position on every side except the
east (as I have myself observed), they sat down before it,
supposing that as there was no v^ater near the fort, those men
would soon be compelled by hunger, thirst, and the blockade,

^ Dyvet, the antieiit name of Pembrokeshire and the western dis-
tricts of South Wales.

A.D. 878.] ALFRED AT ATUELNEY. 71

to surrender. But it did not turn out as they expected ; for
the Christians, divinely insi)ired, before they were reduced to
sucli extremities, and preferring either deatli or victory, made
a sally upon the Pagans before the dawn of day, and taking
them by siu'prise at the first onset, cut to pieces the king and
most of his army, a few only escaping to their ships.

The same year, after Easter, king Alfred, with his slender
force constructed a fortress at a place called Aethelingaeig
(Athelney) ; and from that fort, with his Somersetshire
vassals. kei)t up an incessant warfare with the Pagans. Again,
in the seventh week after Easter, he rode to Egbert's stone,
in the eastern part of the forest of Selwood, which means in
Latin, " the Great Wood ;" and there he was met by all the
people of Somerset, Wilts, and Hants, who had not been
driven across the sea by fear of the Pagans. These ])eople, on
seeing the king come to life again, as we may sny, after
suftering such great tribulations, were filled with joy beyond
measure, as w^ell they might, and encamj^ed there for one
night. At dawn of day, the king mo\ed his camp from that
spot, and came to a spot called Ecglca (Hey), where he
encamped for the night. The following day he unfurled his
standards, and marched to a place called Ethandun (Hedding-
ton), wliere, at the head of his troops in close order, he fought
a desperate battle with the Pagans, and maintaining the
contest with spirit for a long time, at last, by God's help, he
gamed tiie victory with gi-eat slaughter of the Pagans, pursuing
the fugitives to their fortress ; and all that he found outside
the fortifications, men, horses, and cattle, he seized, })utting
the men to death. He then boldly encami)ed his army before
the gates of the Pagan fortress, and having remained there
fourteen days, the Pagans suffering from cold, hunger, and
terror, and at last driven to despair, sued for peace, on the
terms that the king should receive as many hostages as he
pleased, naming them himself, and not giving a single one in
return — terms of ])eace such as they had never ])efore conceded.
The king, having heard their proposal, was touched with pity,
and selected as many hostages as he thought proper ; and
after they were delivered, the Pagans swore, Ijcsides, that they
would forthwitli depart from th.(» king's territories. INIoreover,
king Guthrum engaged to eml>race Christianity, and receive
baj)tism at king Alfred's hands, all of which articles he and

72 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 879 — 882.

his men fulfilled as they had promised; for, seven weeks
afterwards, Guthrum, the king of the Pagans, with thirty of
his principal warriors, came to king Alfred at a place called
Aah- (Aller), near Athehiey, and there the king receiving him
as liis son by adoption, raised him up from the font of holy
baptism, and gave him the name of Athelstan : the loosing of
his crism took place on the eighth day at the royal vill called
Wedmore. He staid with the king twelve nights after his
baptism, the king assigning him and all his attendants spacious
and handsome lodgings.

[a.D. 879.] The aforesaid army of Pagans, leaving
Chippenham, as they had promised, removed to Cirencester,
which is situated in the southern part of the Wiccian territory,
and there they remained one year. In the same year, a large
army of Pagans sailed from foreign parts, and, entering the
Thames, joined the former army ; but they wintered at
Fulham, near the river Thames. The same year there was
an eclipse of the sun, between nones and vespers, but nearer
nones. ^ Dunberht, bishop of Winchester, died, and was
succeeded by Denewlf. This man, if report may be trusted,
was, during the early part of his life, not only illiterate but
a swineherd. King Alfred, when yielding to the fury of his
enemies he had taken refuge in a forest, chanced to light upon
him as he was feeding his swine. Remarking his intelligence,
the king caused him to be taught learning, and when he was
sufficiently instructed made him bishop of Winchester; a
thing that may almost be considered miraculous.

[a.D. 880.] The oft-mentioned Pagan army, breaking up
from Cirencester, marched into East-Anglia, and parcelling
out tlie country began to settle in it. The same year, the
Pagan army which had wintered at Fulham quitted the island
of Britain, and again sailing across the sea reached the
eastern part of France, when they remained a year, at a place
called Grendi, that is Gand (Ghent).

[a.D. 881.] The oft-mentioned army of Pagans penetrated
into France, and the Franks fought against it ; and after the
battle the Pagans supplied themselves with horses, and became
mounted troops.

[a.D. 882.] The aforesaid army of the Pagans dragged

^ This eclipse occurred on the 14th March, 880.

A.D. 883 — 885.] KING Alfred's wars. 73

their ships up the river Mese (Meuse), far into France, and
wintered there one year. In the same year king Alfred
fousrlit a battle by sea against the Pagan fleet, of which he
took two ships, having slain all who were on board ; and
the commanders of two other ships with their crews, exhausted
by fighting and wounds, laid down their arms, and, on bended
knees, with humble supplications, surrendered themselves to
the king.

[a.d. 883.] The aforesaid army cbagged their ships up the
river called Scaldad (Scheld) against the stream, to a convent
of nuns called Cundath (Conde) and there remained a Avhole
year. Asser,' bishop of Sherborne, died, and was succeeded
by Swithelm, who carried king Alfred's alms to St. Thomas in
India, and returned thence in safety.

[a.d. 884.] Marinus was the hundred and seventh pope.
For the love he bore Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, and at
his earnest request, he graciously freed the school of the
Saxons living at Rome from all toll and taxes. Ho also
exchanged many gifts with the king; among those he sent
him was a no small portion of the most holy cross, on which
our Lord Jesus Christ hung for the salvation of man. The
aforesaid army of Pagans entering the mouth of the river
Summe (Sonmie), sailed up it as far as Embene (Amiens), and
remained there for one year.

[a.d. 885.] The aforesaid army of the Pagans was divided
into two botlies, one of which went into East France, and the
other coming over to Britain landed in Kent, and laid siege to
the city called in Saxon, Hrofceastre (Rochester), which
stands on the eastern bank of the river Medway. The Pagans
ran up a strong fort before the city gate, but were unable to
storm the i)lace, as the citizens made a stout resistance until
king Alfred came to their relief with a ])owerful force. On
the king's sudden arrival, the Pagans abandoned their fort,
leaving behind them all the horses they had brought with
them iVom France; and, releasing most of their ])risoners, fled
to their shii)s. The Saxons immediately secured the captives

' Asspr did not die till !J10 (see Saxou Chronicle) ; and he con-
tinued liis Life of Alfred to the forty-fifth year of that prince's age,
A.D. N!):{. Ethelward, not Swithelm, appears to have heen Asser's
successor as bishop of Sherborne. See the list of bisliops al Ibe end
of this work.

74 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 885, 886.

and horses left by the Pagans, who, compelled by stern
necessity, returned the same summer to France. The same
year, Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, sailed with a fleet full
of troops from Kent to East-Anglia, for the sake of plunder ;
and when they were off the mouth of the river Stour, they fell
in with sixteen of the Pagans' ships ; a naval engagement ensued,
and after desperate lighting on both sides, the Pagans were all
slain, and the ships and all their treasure became the prize of
the \'ictors. But while the royal fleet was retiring in triumph,
the Pagans who lived in the eastern part of England, having
collected ships from all quarters, met it at sea near the mouth
of the river, and after a naval battle the Pagans gained the
victory.

Carloman, king of the Western-Franks, came to a miserable
end while boar-hunting, being torn by the tusk of a singularly
savage beast which he had attacked singly. His brother
Lev»-is, who was also a king of the Franlvs, had died three
years before. They were both sons of Lewis, king of the
Franks, who died in the year in which the eclipse of the sun
abeady mentioned took place. This Lewis was the son of
Charles, king of the Franks, whose daughter Judith, Etheh\-nlf,
king of Wessex, had made his queen, with her fathers consent.
In the present year, also, a vast army of the Pagans poured
forth from Germany into old Saxony, but those Saxons,
joining their forces with the Prisons, fought bravely against
them twice in one year, and, by God's mercy, gained the
victory in both battles. Moreover, in the same year, Charles,
king of the Alemanni, succeeded to the kingdom of the
Western-Franks, and to all the kingdoms between the Tuscan
sea and the gulf which separates Old Saxony and Gaul; all
the nations making voluntary submission to him, except those
of Armorica (Brittany). This Charles (Charles-le-Gros) was
the son of king Lewis, who was the brother of Charles (the
Bald), king of the Franks, who was the father of the before-
mentioned Judith ; the two brothers were sons of Lewis (Le
Debonnaire), and Lewis was son of Charles the Great, the
antient and ^dse, who was son of Pepin. In this year, also,
the army of the Pagans -wdiicli had settled in East-Anglia,
disgracefully broke the peace which they had made with king
Alfred.

[a.D. 886.] The army of Pagans, so often before-mentioned,

A.D. 887.] THE DANES AND THE FR.VNKS. 75

quitting East-France, came again into the country of the
Western-Franks, and entering the moutli of the Seine, sailed
up it a long way against the stream as fi\r as the city of Paris,
wliere they wintered. They besieged that city the whole of
tliat year, but by the merciful interposition of God, they were
unable to break through its defences. The same year, Alfred,
king of the Anglo-Saxons, after the biu'uing of cities and
slaughter of the people, nobly rebuilt the city of London, and
made it again habitable; he entrusted the custody of it to
Ethered, earl of Mercia. To which king came all the Angles
and Saxons who l)efore had been dispersed e\'erywhere, or
dwelt among the Pagans without beino- bondsmen, and volun-
tarily i)laced themselves under his dominion.

[a.d. 887.] The above-mentioned army of the Pagans,
leaving the city of Paris unharmed, as they found they could not
succeed, rowed their fleet u]) the Seine against the current, a
long way until they reached tlie mouth of the Malerne (Marne),
where they left the Seine and entered the Marne, and after a
long and toilsome voyage up that ri\'er, they came at last to a
j^lace called Chezy, that is, " the Royal Yill," where they
passed the winter of that year. In the following year they
entered the mouth of the river Yonne, to the no small damage
of that country ; and there they sat down for a whole year.
In this year Charles, king of the Franks, went the way of all
flesli ; but six weeks before his death he had been expelled
from his kingdom by Arnulf, his brother's son. As soon as
Charles was dead, five kings were appointed, and the kingdom
was di\i«led out into fi^ c parts ; but the highest rank devohed
upon Arnulf; and justly and deservedly, save only his dis-
irraceful outrage on his uncle. The other four kings promised
fealty and obedience to Arnulf, as was right; for none of
them had any hereditary claims to the throne, on the father's
side, exce]>t Arnulf only. Although, therefore, five kings
were a|»i)ointed immediately on Charles's death, Arnulf had
tlie emjure. The dominions were divided as follows : Arnulf
had the country to the east of the Khine ; Rodolj)!! the interior
of tlie kingdom ; Oda (Eudes) had the western states ; Beorngar
(Beienger) and Witlia (Guido) had Loml)arcly and the terri-
tories on that side of the mountains. But with such vast and
important kingd(mis they did not remain in amity, for they
fought two ])itched ])attles, and often ravaged each others

76 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 887.

territories, and each, in turn, drove the otlier out of his
kingdom.

In this year, Athelelm, ealdorman of Wiltshire, carried the
ahns of kino- Alfred and the Saxons to Eome. The same
year, on the feast of St. Martin, bishop of Tours, Alfred, the
often-named king of the Anglo-Saxons, by God's assistance,
first began to translate, as well as read, books. This king,
although seated on a throne, was pierced through by many
sorrows ; for, as we have already said, from his twentieth to
his forty-fifth year and more, he was in constant suffering
from the severe attacks of an unknown disease, so that he was
not safe for a single hour either from the pain it caused, or
from apprehension of it. Besides this, he was perpetually
harassed by the constant invasions of foreigners, which he had
to resist vigorously both by land and by sea, without a
moment's rest. What shall I say of his frequent expeditions
against the Pagans, of his battles, of his unceasing cares in
the government of his kingdom, in the restoration of cities
and towns, and building others where there were none before,
of edifices incomparably ornamented with gold and silver
under his own superintendence, of the royal halls and chambers,
both of stone and wood, admirably erected by his command,
of the royal vills, constructed of stone, which he caused to be
removed from their old site, and handsomely rebuilt in more
fitting places ? Although he stood alone, yet God being his
helper, he never suffered the helm of government to which he
had once put his hand, to waver and become unsteady, though
tossed by the waves and storms of this present life. For he
unceasingly and most wisely used both gentle instruction,
admonition, and command, to win over his bishops, ealdormen,
and the better sort of his favourite thanes and officers to his
own wishes and the public good ; and where these failed, after
long forbearance, he had recourse to severe chastisement of the
disobedient, holding vulgar stupidity and obstinacy in utter
abomination. If the royal commands were not attended to,
and in consequence of the people's sluggishness, things ordered
were not completed, or were begun so late that in time of need
they were of little use for want of being perfectly done — for
instance, the castles which he ordered to be built, and which
were not begun, or taken in hand so late that the enemy's
forces broke in by sea and land before they were finished, then

A.D. S^^T.] Alfred's court and charities. 77

the oi)})onents of the voyixl ordinances repented when it was
too late, and sorely grieved that they had inconsiderately
neglected liis orders, and extolling the king's forethought,
engaged with the utmost zeal in the execution of what they
had hefore disregarded.

Among this king's other good deeds, ho directed two
monasteries to be built, one for monks, at a place called
Athelney, where he collected various descriptions of monks,
and appointed John, a priest and monk, and a native of Old
Saxony, first abbot. He also ordered a monastery proper for
the residence of nuns to be built near the east gate of
Shaftesbury, of which he made his own daughter, Ethelgeovu,
who was already a consecrated virgin, abbess ; and these twa
monasteries he richly endowed with possessions in land and
wealth of all kinds. INIoreover, he vowed that he would
religiously and faithfully dedicate to God one half of all the
money which floAved into his colters every year, being justly
acquired ; and this vow he made his serious business to fulfil
with a v.'illing mind. He also, by a plan divinely inspired,
connnanded his otiicers to tlivide his yearly revenues into two
equal parts. AVhen this was done, he ordered one of these
parts to be distributed into three portions ; one of which he
annually bestowed on his noble officers who were continually
engaged by turns about his person, performing various duties.
For the king's attendants were most judiciously divided into
three companies, so that one should be on duty at court, night
and day, for a month ; at the end of which, on the arrival of
another, the first returned home, and remained there tAvo months,
attending to their private afi'airs. At the end of the second
month it was relieved by the arrival of the third, and returned
home for two months. So the third company, on being
relieved by the first, also spent two months at home. In this
rotation the service at court was administered by turns dining
the whole life of the king. The second portion was paid to
the artificers, who flocked to him in vast numbers, from
dillerent nations, or were engaged on hire, men skilled in
every kind of construction. The third portion was cheer-
fully dispensed with admirable judgment to the foreigners
wh(j resorted to his court from all countries, far and near,
whetlier they asked him for money or not. As to the
other moiety, half of all his means derived from his yearly

78 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 887.

revenues, he ordered his ministers to divide it exactly into
four equal portions, to the intent that the first portion should
be discreetly bestowed on the poor of every nation who
came to him ; the second, on the two monasteries lie had
founded, and those who did God's service in them ; the third,
on the school in which he had collected, with the utmost care,
not only many of the sons of the nobility of his realms but
others also of the lower order; the fourth, he distributed
among the neighbouring monasteries throughout the whole
of Saxony and Mercia, and even some years, by turns, among
the churches of Britain (Wales), Cornwall, France, Brittany,
Northumbria, and Ireland, according to his ability. Having
put these affairs in order, he undertook, as far as his infirmity
and means would allow, to devote earnestly to God one half
of his services, both of mind and body, by day and by night.
In consequence, he began to consider by what means he
might regularly keep liis vow until his death. At length he
shrewdly devised a useful plan, and sending for a quantity of
wax had it weighed against pennies, and when there was wax
in the scales of the weight of seventy-two pennies, he caused
his chaplains to make six candles of equal size, so that each
candle might be twelve inches in length, with the inches
marked upon it. By this plan, therefore, six of these candles
sufficed to burn for twenty-four hours, night and day, being
set up before the relics of different saints, which he always
took with him wherever he went.

Moreover, the king made the strictest enquiiies into the
administration of justice, as well as into all other matters ;
reviewing with much shrewdness nearly all the judgments
pronounced throughout the kingdom at wdiich he was not
present himself, with a view to consider whether they were
just or unjust. If he perceived any iniquity in these
decisions he gently remonstrated with the judges, either
personally, or through trusty friends, on their unrighteous
decrees, inquiring whether they proceeded from ignorance or
malevolence, that is, from affection, fear or ill-will to others,
or from a greediness for lucre. In short, if the judges asserted
that they had so given judgment because they knew no better,
lie discreetly and gently reproved their inexperience and
ignorance in such words as these : "I marvel much at your
presumption in that having, by God's favour and my own,

A.D. S88 — 891.] .vlfred's administration of justice. 79

taken upon you an office and station belonging to vrise men,
you liave neglected the study and practice of wisdom. Either,
therefore, at once resign the execution of the temporal authority
now vested in you, or apply yourself to the study of wisdom
much more earnestly than you have hitherto done. Such are
my commands." Filled with consternation at such language
as this, the ealdormen and presiding officers would strive to
devote all their power to the study of justice, just as if they
had been most severely punished. Thus, almost all the
ealdonnen and judges, however illiterate from their youth
upwards, applied themselves surprisingly to the learned studies,
preferring rather to undergo a new discipline as scholars than
to resign their offices. If, however, any one could not make
progress in learning, cither from his advanced age or from
dullness of an intellect unused to such exertions, the king
required his son, if he had any, some kinsman, or, if no one else
was to be had, one of his Uege-men, whether a freeman or
serf, for whom he had long before provided means of instruc-
tion, to read to him Saxon books, by day or night, whenever
he found leisure. The old men sighed deeply, and heartily
grieved that they had not attended to such studies in their
early days ; counting the young men of the present generation
fortunate who had such excellent opportunities of instruction
in the liberal arts ; and regretting their own unhappy lot in
neither having studied them while young, nor being able to
acquire them in old age, however ardently they might desire
to do so.

[a.d. 888.]

[a.d. 889.] Beocca, a noble caldorman, conveyed the alms
of king Alfred and the West-Saxons to Rome. The same
year died Ethelswitha, queen of Burhred, king of Mercia, and
was buried at Ticinum (Pavia). In this year, also, Ethel wold,
the caldorman, and Ethered, archbishop of Canterbury, tlied
in the same month. Ethered was succeeded by Plegmund, a
man of deep erudition.

[a.d. 890.]

[a.d. 891.] Abl)ot Beornhelm carried the alms of king
Alfred and the West-Saxons to Rome. Guthrum, the Idng
of the Northmen, who, as we mentioned before, was lifted by
Alfred from the holy font, receiving the name <>f Athelstan,
died this year. He and his followers were settled in East-

80 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 892 — 894.

Lnglia, and first took possession of and colonized that province
fter the death of St. Edmund, the martyr and king. The

Ai
after

same year, the oft-mentioned Pagan army departed from the
Seine and stationed themselves at a i)lace called Santlaudan
(St. L6), situated between France and Brittany. The Bretons
fought against them ; and, having put some to the sword,
and" the rest to flight, some of whom were drowned in the
river, remained masters of the field.

[a.D. 892.] The aforesaid Pagan army removed from East
to West-France; but before their fleet could join them, the
emperor Arnulf, with the Eastern-Franks, the Old-Saxons,
and the Bavarians, attacked the land army and routed it.
Three Scotchmen, Dusblan, Mahbethu (Macbeth), and Malin-
mumin (Maclinnon ?), desiring to lead a pilgrim's life for the
Lord's sake, fled secretly from Ireland, taking with them a
week's provisions, and embarking in a coracle made of nothing
but two hides and a half; they reached Cornwall after an
extraordinary voyage of seven days, without sails or tackling,
and afterwards paid a visit to king Alfred. In the same year
died Swifneh, the most learned doctor among the Scots. In
this year also a star called a comet was seen about the time of
the Rogation days.

[a.D. 893.] The fleet and cavalry of the Pagans quitting
East-France came to Boulogne, and crossing thence, wdth their
horses in two hundred and fifty ships, to Kent, landed at tlie
mouth of the river Limen (Lyme), which flows out of the
great forest called Andred ; and having dragged their ships
four miles from the river-mouth into this forest, they demolished
a half-built fort which was inhabited by a few churls, and
threw up for themselves a stronger one at a place called
Appledore. Not long afterwards the Pagan Idng entered the
mouth of the ri^'er Thames with eighty galleys, and built for
himself a fortress in the royal vill called Middletun (Milton).

[a.D. 894.] The Pagans who had settled in Northumbria
made a lasting peace with king Alfred, which they confirmed
by their oaths ; so also did those who dwelt in East-Anglia ;
and, in addition, delivered six hostages ; but they broke the
treaty, and as often as the army stationed in Kent sallied forth
from their stronghold to plunder the country, they also either
joined them, or pillaged whatever they could on their own
account. When this was known, king Alfred, at the head of

A.D. 894.] WARS WITH THE DANES. 81

]>art of his army, and leaving part at homo, as was his wont,
while some were stationed as garrisons in tlie eastles and cities,
marched in all haste for Kent; where he pitched his camp
between tlie two Pagan armies on a spot wliich was naturally-
strong, being surrounded on all sides by water, flowing with
strong eddies, with high rocky banks and overhanging woods ;
so that if the enemy took the field for the purpose of j)lunder-
ing or fighting, he could give them battle without delay.
They, however, went about plimdering in bands, which were
* sometimes on horseback, sometimes on foot, resorting for their
prey to those districts wliieh they ascertained were not
occupied by the king's troops. But not only some of the
royal army, but those wlio were in tlie toAms, fell on them by
surprise, night and day, with much slaughter, and so harassed
them, that, abimdoning Kent after again ravaging it, they
all in a body broke up from their quarters, for they had gone
out together to pillage when they first sat down in these parts.
But this time they swept off a more valuable booty, and
resohed on crossing the river Tliames with it into Essex,
and there meet their fleet, which they had sent forward.
But tlie king's army getting before tjiem, gave them battle
near Farnham, and, putting them to flight, recovered the
booty and took the horses which they had brought from
beyond sea. Crossing the Thames where there were no
guards, they took refuge in an island surrounded by the
windings of the river Colne, in w^hich they were blockaded,
until provisions failed in the king's army, and the time came at
which they were to be disbanded, and another come to relieve
them. Those troops, therefore, returned home, and king
Alfred bringing up the other half of his army in all haste, the
Pagans, in consequence of their king being so severely
wounded that they could not remove him, held their ground.
While, however, king Alfred was on his march to attack the
enemy, news was brought that the Pagans of Northumbria
and East-Anglia had collected a fleet of two hundred ships,^
part of which, to the number of one hundred, had sailed round
the south coast of England, and another division consisting of
forty ships, had steered for the northern coast of Devonshire to

' An error probably for 140, as we may judge from what follows ;
and see Saxon Chronicle under the year H!)l.

G

82 FLORI^NCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 894.

lay siege to some castle there, while the former besieged Exeter
with a powerful force. Wlien the long heard this, he was not
alarmed at the enemy's bold manoeu\Tes, though he was very
indignant that his people should be at the mercy of the
besieging armies. Collecting, therefore, all his cavalry M^th-
out loss of time, he rode to Exeter, leaving a small force to
oppose the enemy he was previously marching against. This
force proceeding to London, and being joined by the citizens,
and those who had come to their aid from the west of England,
marched to Benfleet ; for they heard that a large detachment
of the army stationed at Appledore had concentrated itself
there with king Hsesten, who, advancing with his force fi'om
Milton, had constructed a fortified camp in that position ; but
in the meantime, they heard he had again gone on a predatory
expedition. This king had a short time before made peace
with king Alfred, and given several hostages, and allowed his
two sons to be regenerated in the laver of baptism, as king
Alfred desired; one of them being held at the font by the
king himself, the other by the illustrious ealdorman Ethered.
But on his arrival at Benfleet, King Ha3sten quickly fortifying
his camp, began immediately to ravage the borders of the
kingdom of his son's god-father. A severe battle was there-
fore fought with the Pagans, and the Clu-istians put them to
flight at the first onset, destroyed their works, and seizing on
all they could find carried it off, with their wives and childi*en,
to London. Some of their ships they broke up, others they
burnt, and conducted the rest either to London or Eochester*
They also took Hjfisten's wife and two sons before he returned
to Benfleet from plundering ; and these they carried to king
Alfred, but he did them no harm, because, as we said before,
one of the boys was his own godson, and the other Ethered's,
but renewing the peace, and taking hostages, not only restored
Hsesten his wife and sons, as he requested, but gave him a
large sum of money.

Afterwards the king went to Exeter, at the earnest entreaty
of his people there ; and the Pagans, terrified at his coming,
retired to theii* ships, and then returning to their old quarters,
began to ravage the country near Chichester, in the pro^dnce
of the South-Saxons. But they were driven off" from the city
by the to-wiismen, great numbers of them having been killed
and wounded, and many of their ships were taken. Mean-

A.D. 894, 895.] Wars vitii the d.a^'es. 83

"vvliile, the Pacran army being expelled by the Christians from
Beniieet, as -svc menti«)ne<l, went to a town called in .Saxon
8eeobyrig (Shoebuiy), and there Iniilt for themselves a strong-
fortress. !Many of the Pagans from East-Anglia and North-
umbria having joined them, they pillaged first the banks of
the Thames and then those of the Severn. The noble
earhlonnen Ethered, Athehn, and Athelnoth, and others of
the king's thanes to whom he had conunitted the custody of
the forts, towns, and cities, not only on the eastern side of the
Parret, but also westward of Selwood, and not only on the
north but also on the south of the Thames, resentmg their
fierce irruptions, assembled a consideraljle force against the
enemy, the Welsh, who dwelt on the banks of the Severn,
coming to their aid. These troops being united, they marched
in [pursuit of the enemy and came up -with them at Buttington,
on the banks of the Severn, and immediateh* laid siege to the
fortress into which they had retired, from both sides of the river.
After the lapse of many weeks, some of the Pagans died of
hunger ; others, having devoured their horses, broke out of
their fortress and attacked the enemy's diWsion stationed on
the other side of the river ; but vast numbers of the Pagans
were slain in this engagement, and the rest taking to flight,
the Chr'stians remained masters of the field of death. In this
Ixittle, Ordeah, a noble of the highest rank, and many of the
king's thanes fell. The Pagans who fled having retreated to
Essex and reached their fortresses and sliips, on the ap])roach
of winter they again gathered a large army out of East-Anglia
and Northumbria, and giving their wives, their wealth, and
their ships, in charge to the settlers in East-Anglia, left their
fortresses, and making a forced march, took possession of the
city of the Legions, called m Latui Legeceaster (Chester),
which was at that time deserted ; arriving there before the
troops of king Alfred and Ethered the sub-king, who were ill
pursiut, could overtake them. However, they cut ofl' and
slow some of them, rescuing some of the cattle and sheep they
had seized while foraging, and besieged the city for two da^ys,
burning part of the crops of corn and giving the rest to their
liorses. These events took place in the course of a year after
the Paorans came from the coast of France to the mouth of the
liver Limene.

[a.d. 8!JJ.] The oft-mentioned Saxon armv, having no

c; 2

84 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 896, 897.

means of subsistence, as the Christians had taken everything
from them, made an irruption into the territories of the North-
Britons, and ravaging them far and wide swept off an immense
body. Not daring to return by way of Mercia, for fear of
the Mercians, they went first through Northumbria and the
country of the Mid-Angles, and having rejoined their wives
and sliips in East-AngUa, betook themselves to a little island
in the sea called Theresig (Mersey), on the eastern coast of
Essex. The same year, the same party drew their ships up the
river Thames, and afterwards up the river Lea, and began to
build themselves a fort near that river, twenty miles from
London.

[a.D. 896.] In the summer time, great part of the citizens
of London, assisted by numbers from the neighbouring places,
endeavoured to demolish the fortress which the Pagans had
made for themselves ; but they met with a stout resistance,
and the Christians were compelled to draw off, after four of
king Alfred's thanes were slain. The king himself, in the
autumn, pitched liis camp not far from the city, in order to
prevent the Pagans from carrying off the crops of the country
I)eople. One day, as he rode along the river-bank, he con-
sidered where he could obstruct the channel so as to prevent
the Danes from getting their ships out; and without delay
ordered a dam to be made from both sides across the bed of
the river. The Pagans finding this, again placed their wives
in security in East-Anglia, and abandoning their ships, made a
forced march on foot as far as a place called Quattbrycge, and
having built for themselves a fortress, passed the winter there.
Meanwhile, the Londoners brought some of then* ships to
London and broke up the rest.

[a.D. 897.] In the summer season, part of the Pagan army
which had wintered at Quattbrycge went into East-Anglia and
the other parts as far as Northumbria. Some remained there,
but others procured ships and crossed over to the river Seine
already mentioned. Oh! with what constant attacks, with
what grievous sufterings, in what a dreadful and lamentable
manner, was the whole of England harassed, not only by the
Danes, who had settled in various parts of it before that time,
but also by these (roving) children of Satan. Much more did
it suifer for three years by a murram among the cattle, and a
mortality among the nobility, many of whom, the king's

A.D. 898 — 901.] di':atii op kixg alfred. 85

principal officers especially, died durino; tliat period. Amoncc
these were Siitiliulf, bisliop of Ilocliester, Eullirard, bisliop of
Uorehester, Ceolmimd, ealdorman of Kent, Bcorlittwlf, ealdor-
man of Essex, Eadulf, the kinc^'s reeve in Sussex, Beornwulf,
the vice-reeve of Winchester, Ecgwidf, the king's horse-thane,
and many others ; but these were of the highest rank. In this
same year, the army of Pagans who were settled in East-
Anglia and Northimibria grievously harassed the territory of
the West-Saxons, making j)iratical descents and pillaging along
the coast, principally in long, swift ships, which they had built
some years before. To oppose these, king Alired caused ships
to be constructed twice as long, swifter, loftier, and better
trimmed, so that they might be more than a match in action
for the enemy's navy. On sending them to sea, the king's
orders were that they sliould take as many prisoners as they
could, and kill such of the enemy as they could not take alive.
The result was that in the same year twenty ships of the Danish
l^irates were taken ; and of the crews, some were slain, and
others brought alive to the king and hung on the gallows.^

[a.d. 898, 899.]

[a.d. 900.] Healhstan, bishop of London, died, and was
succeeded by Theodred. Eardulf, bishop of Lindisfarne, died,
to whom succeeded the pious Cuthard.

[a.d. 901.] Alfred, king of the Anglo-Saxons, son of the
most religious king Ethelwulf, after a reign of twenty-nine
years and six months, died on Wednesday the fifth of the
calends of November [28th October], in the fourth indiction.^
He was buried at Winchester in the New Minster, where he
waits his being clothed with a blissful immortality, and par-
taking the glory of the resurrection of the just. That renowned,
warlike, and victorious king was the zealous guardi.an of the
widows and fatherless, orphans, and the poor. He was a
perfect master of Saxon poetry, fondly loved by his own

' At Winchester, as tho Saxon Chron, adfls. It contains a much
more circumstantial account of these naval affairs tlian that given by
Florence; and Henry of Huntin.^'tlon adds some further details. See
pp. .'iOO, ;JCO, of Saxon Chron. in Autiq. Lib.; and pp. 160, IfU, of
H. of HuntinRdon, ibid.

' April, H71 — Ocrtober (H)l, which pives thirty instead of twenty-nine
years for the reign of Alfred. The Saxon Chron. limits it to twenty-
eipht years and a half, and, instead of the fifth, has the seventh of the
calends of November, or viOth October.

86 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 901.

subjects, most affable and generous to all the world, endowed
with prudence, fortitude, justice, and temperance, he was a
model of patience under his inveterate disease, acute and
impartial in the admmistration of justice, and vigilant and
devout in the service of God. His son Edward, surnamed
the Elder, who succeeded to the throne, was inferior to his
father in learning, but surpassed hun in dignity, might, and
grandeur. Eor, as it will be clearly shown in what follows, he
extended the frontiers of his kingdom far beyond its limits in
his father's reign, built many cities and towns, and raised
others from their ruins, wrested from the power of the Danes
all Essex, East-Anglia, Northumbria, and several districts of
Mercia, which had been long in their hands, and after the
death of his sister Ethelileda,^ took possession of the whole of
Mercia and retained it in liis own hands : he also reduced
to subjection the king of the Scots, the Cumbrians, and the
Strathclyde and Western Britons ; and many kings and chiefs
he defeated and slew. He had Athelstan, his first-born son
by a vv^oman of very noble birth, named Egwina ; ^ liis
queen Edgiva also bore him three sons, Edwin, Edmund, and
Edred, a daughter named Edberga, a most devout virgin, and
three other daughters. One of these was married to Otho,
emperor of the Romans, the eighty-ninth in succession ;
another to Charles, king of the Western-Franks, whose
aunt, the daughter of the emperor Charles, was the wife of
Ethelwulf, king of Wessex; Sihtric, king of Northumbria,
married the third daughter. The etheling Ethelwold, cousin-
german of king Edward, seized a royal vill called Tweoxebeam,
"Without the licence of the king or his " witan ; '* he also
took another called Winburne, and strengthened it •with gates
and bolts. It was there that, as we have mentioned before,
St. Cuthburg, sister of king Ina, founded a monastery of nuns.
On hearing of this outrage, king Edward assembled an army,
and encamped at a place near Winburne, called Baddanbyrig
(Badbury). The king lost no time in summoning the

^ JEgelJieda ; proper names commencing with " iEthel," are gene-
rally v/ritten "^Egel" in the text of Florence of Worcester, a corrup-
tion to be found also in the Saxon Chronicle.

" Malmesbury describes her as of humble birth, " opilionis filia,"
a shepherd's danghter: Antiq. Lib., p. 139, where a romantic account
is given of Athelstan's birth.

A.D. 002 — 00.5.] EDWARD THE ELDER. 87

etholing to evacuate the place ; but he refused, saying that he
would live or die there. But these were idle words, for,
terrified at the number of the king's anny, he made his
escape by night, and hastening into Northumbria entreatcxl
the Danes to accept him as a comrade, allowing him to join
their eom]>any as such, and not as a commander. However,
they shortly afterwards raised him to the throne. King Athel-
stan was severely mortified at Etliehvold's escape, and com-
manded instant pui'suit to be made, but finding it impossible
to overtake him, he arrested the nun whom the etheling
had married without his permission and that of the bishops,
and caused her to be taken back to her convent at Winburne.

[a.d. 902.]

[a.d. 903.] Athulf, a very brave ealdorman, the brother of
queen Elswitha, king Edward's mother, died this year ; as
also Yirgilius, a venerable Scotch abbot ; likewise Grimbald,
the priest, a man of great sanctity and one of Idng Alfred's
masters, ascended to the bliss of the heavenly kingdom.

[a.d. 90-1.] The Kentish men fought against a numerous
band of Danish pirates at a ]ilace called Hohne, and remained
victors. The etheling Ethelwold returned to England from
foreign parts, with a large fleet of ships which he had either
bought or collected in East-Antrha.

[a.d. 905.] There was an eclipse of the moon. The
etheling Ethelwold ])rcvailed on the Danes who inhabited East-
Anglia, by the promise of a large share of the booty, to join
in a predatory irruption on the borders of Mercia. On their
consenting, they quickly burst into the Mercian territory under
their king Eric, in union witli Ethelwold, and, eager for
])kmder, carried fire and sword through the country, penetratiiig
as far as Creccanibrd (Cricklade), where they crossed the river
Thames, and travei'sing the wood called in the Saxon tongue
Bradene, seized the surrounding vills, plundering ever^tliing
they could lay their hands on. Being now loaded with rich
booty, they hurried homeward in triumph ; but in viun, for the
invincible king Edward piu-sued tliem with such troops as he
could get together in lia^jte, and laid waste their lands situate be-
tween rlie boundary territory of St. Edminid the king, and the
river ()u>e. When about to draw ofi' his army from the work
of devastation, he ordered the whole to retire in a body ; but
the Kentish men remained behind in spite of the order. The

88 FL.ORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 906 — 910.

king sent (no less than) seven messages to them, commanding
them to retreat ; but they, having no aj^prehension of an attack,
persisted in their enterprise in blind security. The Danes,
learning this, quickly assembled in a body and fell on the
Kentish men ; and a severe battle ensued, in which numbers
perished on both sides. On that of the Kentish men were
slain Siwulf, the ealdorman, and his son Seberht, Sigelm, the
eiildorman, Edwold, the king's thane, abbot Kenulf, and many
others. On the side of the Danes were slain Eric their king,
the etheling Ethelwold, who had been elected king, and very
many more ^ than fell on the side of the English ; but they
remained masters of the field of death. The devout handmaid of
Christ, queen Elswitha, king Edward's mother, and the found-
ress of a monastery for nuns at Winchester, departed this life.'-

[a.d. 906.] A comet-star was seen. The Pagan army
out of East-Anglia and Northumbria, finding that king Edward
was invincible, made peace with him at a place called in the
English tongue Yttingaford. ^

[a.D. 907.]

[a.d. 908.] The city called in the British tongue Karle-
gion, and in the Saxon, Legeceastre (Chester), was rebuilt by
order of Ethered, the ealdorman, and Ethelfleda.

[a.d. 909.] Denulf, bishop of Winchester, died.

[a.d. 910.] St. Erithestan succeeded to the bishopric
vacant by the death of Denulf. The bones of St. Oswald,
king and martyr, were translated from Bardney to Mercia.
The Danes having broken the peace recently concluded, the
invincible king Edward sent an army of West-Saxons and
Mercians into Northumbria, which having accomplished its
march, laid waste the country for nearly forty days without
intermission, put numbers of the Danes to the sword, and
brought back a crowd of captives and immense booty, com-

^ The Saxon Chronicle enumerates among these Ysop the hold, and
Oskytel the hold. In our notes on Henry of Huntingdon, who calls
them djces, we remarked that " hold " was probably a Danish title of
rank ; but it escaped our notice that the word, as suggested by Dr.
Thorpe in a note to the E. H. Society's edition of Florence is probably
derived from the Scandinavian ; hollar, a ndaller, or holder of land
on a free and privileged tenure still existing in Norway.

- The Saxon Chron. gives her death in 902.

^ Supposed to be either Ifford, near Christchurch, or Ickford in
Bucks.

A.D. oil 913.] Tin: WAR IX MERCIA. 89

pelliiiir their kings, however reluctantly, to renew with king
Edward the peace they had broken.

[a.d. 1)11.] A glorious battle was fought between the
English and Danes at a place called Teotanhele/ in the province
of Stafibrd, the English gaining the victory. The same year
the victorious king Edward collected a hundred ships, and
embarking in them chosen troops, gave them orders to meet
him in Kent, whither he intended to go by land. Meanwhile,
the Danish settlers in Northumbria again breaking the peace
they had made, and rejecting the terms of accommodation
which king Edward and his witan proposed, audaciously
ravaged the lands of the Mercians, thinking, indeed, that their
naval power wns so su])<Tior that they could go where they
pleased without encountering an enemy. The king being
informed of this irruption, sent the West-Saxon troops united
with those of Mercia to drive them out, who overtook them
as they were returning from the country they had ravaged, on
a i)lain called in English Wodnesfield, and slew their two
kings Eowils and Halfdene, king Hinguar's brothers, with two
of their earls, Ochter and Scurf, nine of their ])rincipal nobles,"
and many thousand men besides ; and putting the rest to
flight, recovered all the spoil. Ethelfleda, the lady of the
Mercians, built the town of Bramsbury.

[a.d. 912.] Ethered, ealdorman and " patrician," lord and
sub-king of the Mercians, a man of distinguished excellence,
and not deficient in deeds of worth, died this year ; after
his decease his wife Ethelfleda, king Alfred's daughter,^ ruled
with firmness the kingdom of Mercia, save only London and Ox-
ford, which her cousin king Edward retained in his own hands.

[a.d. 913.] Ethelfleda, lady of the Mercians, came with an
anny on the second of the nones [the 6th] of May to a ])lace
called Sconrgate, and built a fortress there ; marching from
thence she built another at a place called Bricge (Bridgnorth),

^ Tettenhall, near Wolverhampton.

- Amon{^ these, the Sax. Chron. enumerates Othulf the holdy
Nenering the hold, Anlaf COIaf) thelilack.Tliurforth the hold, Osferth
Flytte, EiUhferth the hold, and Ogmund the hold. See the note in the
preceding page.

•' See Henry of Huntingdon's History, and the notes, pp. 160, 1(57,
1C8, in Tiohn's Autiq. Lib., respecting this spirited princess, to whoso
memory Ilorcnce of Worcester also has done more justice than most
of the Chroniclers.

90 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 914, 915.

on the western bank of the river Thames. About the feast of
St. Martin [11th November], a city was built by order of
king Edward, between the Memera, Ficcea and Lyge (Lea), to
the nortli of Hertford.

[a.D. 911.] After Easter [17th April] a Pagan army from
Nortliampton and Leicester came plundering into the province
of Oxford and slew great numbers of people in the royal \ill
•of Hockernetune (Hockerton), and many other vills. Shortly
after they retm'ned home another expediton was equippecl,
consisting of horsemen, and dispatched in the province of
Hertford, towards Ligetun (Leighton ?) ; but the people of the
-country flocked together to oppose them, and slaying many of
them and putting the rest to flight, took some of their horses
and most of their arms, recovering also the booty they had
collected. After Kogation days [23rd May], king Edward
detached part of his troops to build a town on the south side
of the river Lea, and, marching the rest into Essex, pitched his
camp at Maldienne (Maldon?). He took up liis quarters there
while a town was building at Witham, which was afterwards
fortified; and a great portion of the inhabitants who were
enthralled by the Pagans submitted themselves to liim, Avith
all they possessed. In the early part of the summer, Ethel-
fleda, the lady of the Mercians, led her people to Tamworth,
and by Grod's help rebuilt that town ; from thence she went
to Stafford, and built or threw up a fort on the north bank of
the river Sowe. The following winter was exceedingly long
and severe. Athelm, bishop of WeUs, being promoted to the
archbishopric of Canterbury, was succeeded by Wulfhelm.

[a.D. 915.] On the death of Wereferth, bishop of the
Hwiccas, a man of deep learning and piety, he was succeeded
by Ethelhun, abbot of Berkeley.^ In the beginning of
summer, Ethelfleda, lady of the Mercians, built the town called
Eddesbury, and at the close of autumn another called War-
wick. The Pagan pirates, who nearly nineteen years before
had crossed over to France, returned to England from the
province called Lydwiccum (Brittany), under two chiefs,
Ochter and Hroald (Thorold?), and sailing round the coast of

^ Florence of Worcester is naturally attentive to the succession of
the bishops of the Hwiccias, but in the list given at the end of his
work, the immediate successor of Wereferth is Wilferth, and then
Ethelhun.

A.D. 1)15.] WAR IN THE WEST. 01

Wessex and Cornwall at length entereil the mouth of the
river Severn. Without any loss of time they fell upon the
countiy of the Xorthern Britons, and carried off almost every
thing they could find on the l>anks of the river. Having laid
hands on Cymelgeac, a British bishoj), on a plain called
Yrcenofeld, they dragged him, with no little joy, to their
ships. King Edward redeemed liim shortly afterwards for
forty pounds of silver. Before long, the whole army landed,
and made for the plain before mentioned, in search of plunder ;
but the men of Hereford and Gloucester, with numerous
bands from the neighbouring to's^^ls, suddenly fell on them,
and a battle was fought in which Hroald, one of the enemy's
chiefs, and the brother of Ochter, the other chief, and great
part of tlie army wore slain. The rest fled, and were (biven
by the Christians into an enclosure, where they were beset
until they delivered hostages for their departure as quickly as
possible from king Edward's dominions. The Idng, therefore,
stationed detachments of his army in suitable positions on the
south side of the Severn, from Cornwall to the mouth of the
river Avon, to prevent the pirates from ravaging those districts.
But leaving their ships on the shore, they prowled by night about
the country, ])lundering it to the eastward of Weced (Watchet),
and another time at a place called Porlock. However, on
both occasions, the king's troops slew all of them except such
as made a disgraceful retreat to their ships. The latter, dis-
pirited by their defeat, took refuge in an island called Beoric,'
where they harboured till many of them perished from hunger,
and, driven by necessity, the survivors sailed first to Deemed,'
and afterward in the autumn to Ireland. After these occur-
rences, the invincible king Edward marched liis army to
Buckingham, where he halted thirty days, causing forts to be
built on both banks of the river Ouse ; and, in consequence,
Turketil, one of the Danish chiefs, and all of the better sort
from Bedford and many from Northampton were compelled
to submit to the king.^ On the death of Cuthard, bishop of
Lindisfarne, he was succeeded by Tilred.

' The Flat-Hohns in the Bristol Channel,

- Deraetia, Dyvet ; the district of South Wales, about Milford Haven,
from whence is the nearest passage to the south of Ireland.

^ Saxon Chronicle, where these transactions of the year 915 are
assigned to !^18.

92 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 916, 918.

[a.d. 910.] The victorious king Edward went to Bedford
before the feast of St. IMartin [11th JSTovember], which place
and its inhabitants submitted to him. He remained there
thirty days, and caused a town to be built on the south side
of the river Oiise. After Christmas, Ethelfleda, lady of the
Mercians, built two towns, Cyricbirig (Cherbury), and Wead-
byrig; she also built a third, Runcofan (Runcorn), before
that feast.

[a.d. 917.] The victorious king Edward went as far as
Maldon before the feast of the Nati\*ity of St. John the Baptist,
and rebuilt the to>\Ti, placing a guard of soldiers in it before
he left it. The same year Turketil, the chief already men-
tioned, went over to France with all his band, king Edward
approWng and furthering the expedition. The venerable
abbot Egbert was unjustly slain on the sixth of the calends of
July. Three nights afterwards Ethelfleda, the lady of the
Mercians, sent an army into the territory of the Britons to
take the castle at Brv'cenanmere (Brecknock) ; and having
stormed it, they carried the wife of the British king captive
to Mercia, and thirty-four men with her. Rollo, the first
duke of Nonnandy died, and was succeeded by his son
William.

[a.d. 918.] By king Edward's command, the city called
Towcester was built before Easter, and another after Easter,
about the Rogations at Wigmore. After the feast of the
Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the Pagans of Northampton
and Leicester, in violation of the peace, marched to Towcester,
and assaulted it during a whole day, endeavouring to storm
it ; but the defenders of the place making a stout resistance
from within, and their neighbours hastening to their relief, the
Pagans all took to flight. Thev afterwards made night attacks
in the province of Buckingham on those who were oft* their
guard, carrying away men as well as cattle, and butchered many
of the inhabitants between Birnwood and Aylesbur>\ At the
same time, the army of the Pagans who had colonised East-
Anglia and Huntingdon abandoned their fortress at Hunting-
don, and built themselves one which was stronger at a place
called Wigingamere ; thinking, forsooth, that hostilities from
that quarter would enable them to recover the lands which
had been \\Tested from them. They then issued forth to
assault Bedford; but as soon as theu* approach was ascer-

A.D. 918.] TUE DANES WORSTED. 03

tiiinetl, tliose who liad tlie guard of the town wont out to
i-'ngage them, and, battle being joineil, the enemy were defeated
and put to flight with great loss. After a short interval the
Pagans again assembled in a body from East-Anglia, Essex,
and Mereia, and marched to a town called Wigingamere,*
which they assaulted for a whole <lay ; and those within
defended it manfully, and the enemy drew off; and as they
retreated swept off a vast booty. After this, in the same
summer, the people assembled in great numbers from the
nearest towns and districts under king Edward's dominion,
iind laid siege to Tempsford — assaulted, stormed, burnt, and
destroyed it, putting to the sword the king of the Pagans,
with tlieir general Toglear and his son, earl Mannan, and his
brother, and all who made any defence ; the rest they took
prisoners, and carried oti' all they coidd find.

From that time the j)ower of the Danes gradually de-
creased, while that of the English was daily augmented. Upon
the calends [the 1st] of August, Ethelfleda, lady of the
Mercians, took Derby by assault, and became mistress of
that district ; but four of her most trusty thanes were slain,
bravely fighting, at the city gate. In the following autumn,
a great multitude of people from Kent, Surrey, Essex, aiid
the neighbouring towns and districts, assembled together, and
marched in a body to Colchester, and laying siege to the
place sat down before it until they took it. They slew all who
were in it, except a few who escapetl, and plundered all it
contained. The Danes of East-Anglia, much incensed at
this loss, were bent on revenge, and, joined by some pirates,
whom they had taken into their pay, hastened to Maldon,
wliich they besieged until the people of the neighbourhood
came to the relief of the English ; upon Avhich the Danes
gave up the siege and drew ofi'. The English, seemg this,
})ursued them with great impetuosity, slew many thousands of
the pirates and the otliers, and routed the rest. Shortly
afterwards, the invincible king Edward put himself at the
head of an expedition from Wessex to Passanham, and re-
mained there while Towcester was being fortified by a wall of
stone built round it. In consccpience, the Danish earl Tliur-

^ Supposed to be Waymere Castle, on a small island near Bishop's
Stortford.

FLORE>-CE OF WOUCEfSTER. [a.D. 918, 919.

fiaiini: that he could no longer resist the king's -s-igour,
to Edwiu'd, •vrith the citizens of Northampton and
ihe people oi Aat n^ghbourhood, both Danish and English.
After this the king returned home and despatched another
army to Huntingdon, with orders to repair and rebuild the
phice and leave a garrison in it. This being accomplished,
all the people of that proA-ince who had sin^-ived the cruelties
of the Danes, rejoicing to shake off their yoke, sought peace
and protection from the king, and offered him their allegiance.
After a few days' interval, the king assembled the army of
Wessex, and marching to Colchester, repaired the walls of the
town, and stationed in it a garrison of liired soldiers. Mean-
while, many of the English in East-Anglia and Essex, who
had been enslaved to the brutal Danes more than thuty years,
jo^-fully submitted to king Edward; and even the Danish
colonists of East-Anglia came to liim and swore that they
would in future do nothing to his prejudice, either by sea or
land. The army from Cambridge also came and chose him
for itteiir lord and patron; conffrming th^ submission by
oaths as he required.

[a.d. 919.] In the beginning of this year, EtheWeda, lady
of the Mercians, got possession of Leicester, peaceably, and
nearly all the Danes belonging to the place submitted to her.
The Danes also who predominated at York, engaged, some on
tbi^ word, and others on oath, to submit to her will and
pleasure in all things. After Rogations [31st May], the
victorious king Edward the Elder led his army to Stamford,
and built a strong castle on the south bank of the river
Welland, and not only the Danes who held the fort on the
north bank of that river, but all who were connected with the
jilaoe, paid him homage. While the king was thus emj^loyed,
tkat is to say, on the nineteenth of the calends of July, his
sister, Ethelileda, lady of the Mercians, a woman of incom-
parable prudence, and eminent for her just and \irtuous life,
died,^ eight years after the sole government of the Mercians
fell to her, during wlach she had ruled them with ftrmness and
equity. She left Elfwina, her only daughter by Ethered the

^ Henrv of Huntingdon states that Ethelfleda died at Tamwortb
twelve dajs before the feast of St. Jolin [r2th June], a.d. 918, agree-
ing with two MSS. of the Saxon Chron. ; another MS. assigning the
year 922 as the date. See p. 168 in Antiq. Lib.

96 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D, 924 — 931.

[a.d. 924.] Edward the Elder, the invincible king of
England, who reigned gloriously over all the people of Britain,
whether English, Scotch, Cumbrians, Danes, or Welsh, after
many great achievements, departed this life at the royal vill
called Eearndun (Farringdon), in the fifteenth indiction, and
the twenty-fourth of liis reign, leaving the government to his
son Athelstan. His body was carried to Winchester, and
interred in the New Minster with royal pomp. His son
Alfward died shortly afterwards at Oxford, and was buried
with his father. Athelstan's accession was inaugurated at
Cingestone, which signifies the King's town ; and he was
crowned with due ceremony by Athelm, archbishop of Can-
terbury. The resolute Dunstan, a native of Wessex, was a
boy in his time.

[a.d. 925.] The valiant and glorious king Athelstan gave
his sister in marriage, with great pomp and magnificence, to
Sihtric, king of the Northumbrians, who was of Danish origin.

[a.d. 926.] Fiery lights in the northern part of the heavens
were visible throughout the whole of England. Shortly after-
ward, Sihtric, king of Northumbria, departed this life, and
king Athelstan expelled Gruthferth his son and successor, and
united the kingdom to the others w^hich were under his
imperial sway, for he defeated in battle and put to flight all
the kings throughout Albion; for instance, Howel, king of the
West Britons (the Welsh), and afterwards Constantino, king
of the Scots, and Wuer (Owen) king of the Wenti (q. Gwent).
He also expelled Aldred, the son of Eadulf, from his royal
town called by the English Bebbanbyrig (Bamborough). All
these, finding that they could no longer resist his power, sued
for peace, and assembling at a place called Eamot, on the
fourth of the ides [the 12th] of July, ratified by their oaths
a solemn treaty.

[a.d. 927.]

[a.d. 928.] Tilred, bishop of Lindisfarne, died, and was
succeeded by Withred. On the death of Tunberht, bishop
of Lichfield, ^lle succeeded.

[a.d. 929.] Wilferth, bishop of the Hwiccias, died, and
was succeeded by Kinewold.

[a.d. 930.]

[a.d. 931.] Eadulf, bishop of Devon, died, and was buried
at Crediton.

A.D. 932—938.] ATIIELSTAX. 97

[a. I). 932.] Frithestan, bishop of Winclioster, a man of
cniiiient piety, continued to reside at Wincliester at'tor the
pious Byni-stan was bishop in liis stead. St. Frithestan sang
mass daily for the repose of the souls of the departed, and at
niirht went round the cemeteries, chanting psalms for their
relief. On one occasion, when he was thus employed, and
liad concluded the service with the words, " May they rest
in peace ! " he heard, as it were, countless hosts uttering from
the graves the response, " Amen."

[a.d. 933.] St. Frithestan died.

[a.d. 93-i.] Athelstan, the valiant king of England led
an expedition into Scotland, consisting of a powerful fleet
and a large body of cavalry, Constantine, king of the Scots,
liaving broken the peace that he had made. King Athelstan
ravaged great part of the country, and Constantine was
compelled to give him his son as an hostage, witli fitting-
presents ; and peace having been restored, the English king
returned to Wessex. St. Byrnstan, bishop of Winchester,
<lied the same year.

[a.d. 93c).] The holy monk Elphege, surnamed The Bald,
a kinsman of St. Dunstan, was appointed to the bishopric of
Winchester.

[a.d. 936.]

[a.d. 937.] Otho, the nineteenth emperor of the Romans,
reigned thirty-six years and ten months. Athelstan, king of
England, gave him one of his sisters in marriage.

[a.d. 938.] Anlaf [Olaf], the Pagan king of Ireland
and many other isles, at the instigation of his lather-in-law
Constantine, Icing of the Scots, entered the mouth of the
Humber with a powerful fleet. King Athelstan, and his
brother Edmund the etheling, encountered him at the head of
tlieir army at a ])lace called Brunanburgh, and the battle, in
which five tributary kings and seven earls were slain, having
lasted from daybreak until evening, and been more sanguinary
than any that was ever fought before in England, the con-
(juenjrs retired in triumph, having driven the kings Anlaf
and Constantine to their ships ; who, o\er\vhelmed with
sorrow at the destruction of their army, returned to their
own countries with very few followers.

' See the Saxon Chronicle, and Plenry of Huntingdon's History, for
details of this celebrated battle.

II

98 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 939 — 944.

[a.d. 939.]

[a.D. 940.] Athelstan, the brave and glorious Idiig of
England, departed this life at Gloucester, on Wednesday
the sixth of the calends of November [27th October], in the
fourteenth indiction and the sixteenth year of his reign. He
was carried to Maidulph (Malmesbury), and buried there with
STeat honours ; his brother Edmund succeeded to the throne
in the eighteenth year of his age.

[a.d. 941.] The Northumbrians, faithless to the allegiance
they owed to Edmund, the great king of England, elected
Olaf, a king of the Northmen, to be their own king. The
same year Alfred, bishop of Sherborne, died.

[a.d. 942.] Edmund, the great king of England, wrested
the " Five Burghs," ^ namely, Lincoln, Nottingham, Derby,
Leicester, and Stamford, out of the hands of the Danes, and
brouo-ht the whole of Mercia under his dominion. He estab-
lished his supremacy and acquired this glory by calling to his
counsels Dunstan, the servant of God, who, besides other
offices of dio-nitv to which he was advanced, was abbot of
Glastonbury, where he had been brought up. William, duke
of Normandy, the son of Eollo, was slain on the sixteenth of
the calends of January [17th October] : he was succeeded by
his son Richard.

[a.d. 943.] At the moment when St. Elfgiva, the queen of
king Edmund the Great, was giving birth to a son, St. Dunstan,
the abbot, heard voices on high, singing thus : *^ Peace shall
be to the English church in the time of the child who is now
born and of our Qva\ Dunstan." This year the king of
England received king Olaf, already mentioned, from the
sacred laver of regeneration, and made him a royal gift ; and
soon afterwards he presented Regnald, king of Northumbria,
to the bishop in the office of confirmation, adopting him for
his son.

[a.d. 944.] Edmund, the great king of England, expelled
the tw^o kings of Northumbria — namely, Olaf, son of Sihtric,
and Regnald, son of Guthferth, and took that kingdom into

^ Quinque civitates. These " five burghs," as they were called, were
strongly fortified, distinguished for their importance, commerce, and
wealth ; and formed, as it were, a little separate Danish state in the
heart of England, from the time of king Alfred. See Warsaae's
Danes in Enyland, p. 31.

A.D. 945 — 951.] EDMUND — EDRED. 99

liis own haud.i. Withred, bishop of Lindisfarne, died, and
was succeeded by Uhtric ; on whose decease Sexhehii was
ordained to supply his place; and he too dying a few months
afterwards, Ahlred was consecrated in his stead.

[a.d. 94-5.] Edmund, the Ofreat king of England, laid waste
Cumberland, and gave it to Malcolm, king of the Scots, under
fealty and military service, by sea and land.

[a.d. 940.] On tiio feast of St. Augustine, the doctor of
the EngHsh, being Tuesday, the seventh of the calends of
June [2Gth jSIay], in the fourth indiction, Edmund, the great
king of England, was stabbed to death at the royal vill called
Pucklechurch, by Leof, a rufHanly thief, while attemptmg to
defend his steward from being murdered by the rol)ber. The
king thus perished after a reign of five years and seven months :
his body was carried to Glastonbury and buried by St. Dunstan
the al)V)ot. Edred, his brother and next heir, immediately suc-
ceeded him in due course, and was crowned at Kingston by
St. Odo, archl)ishop of Canterbury, on Sunday the seventeenth
of the calends of September [16th August]. King Edred
reduced the entire kingdom of Northumbria to allegiance, as
his brotlier had done before, and the Scots swore fealtv to him.

[a.d. 947, 948.]

[a.d. 949.] St. Wulfstan, archbishop of York, and all the
great men of Northumbria, swore fealty to EtUed, the illus-
trious king of England, at the vill called Taddens-clyft*
(Tadcaster), but they soon broke it, and made one Eric, of
Danish extraction, their king.

[a.d. 950.] On the revolt of the Northumbrians, Edred,
king of England, laid waste the whole of Northumbria ; and,
in the course of tliis devastation, the monastery of Ripon,
founded by St. Wilfrid, was burnt to the ground. While,
however, the king was retiring, a body of troops sallied forth
from York and made great ha\oc on the rear of his army, at
a place called Chesterford. The king was so nettled at this
afl'ront, that he was on the point of counter-marching
his force and utterly devastating the whole country, Avhen
the Northumbrians, alarmed at the news, deposed Eric whom
they had elected king, satisfyhig the king's honour by Inunble
submission, and compensating his losses l)y their offerings, it
costing them a large sum of money to a])pease his anger.

[a.d. 951.] St. Elpiiegc, bishoj) of Winchester, suruamed

II 2

100 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER. [a.D. 952 — 956.

tlio Bald, who had received St. Dunstan's profession as a monk,
and raised hiui to the order of priesthood, departed this life,
and was succeeded in the bishopric by Alfsin.

[a.D. 952.] Edred, the renowned king of England, closely
imprisoned Wulfstan, archbishop of York, at Juthanbyrig, on
certain charges frequently preferred against him. He also
ordered several of the inhabitants of Thetford to be executed,
as a punishment for their cruel murder of abbot Aldelm.

[a.D. 953.] Ethelgar, bishop of Crediton, departed in
Christ in the twenty-first year after he was appointed to the
see, and w\as buried at Crediton. By the advice of St. Dun-
stan, the abbot, the venerable Alfwold was made bishop in
his place.

[a.D. 954.] Wulfstan, archbishop of York, was released
from prison, but his episcopal functions were transferred to
Dorchester.

[a.D. 955.] Edred, the illustrious king of England, fell
sick in the tenth year of his reign, so that his life was despaired
of ; upon which a messenger w^as dispatched with urgent speed
to summon Dunstan, the king's confessor. The holy abbot
was hastening to the palace, and had accomplished half his
journey when he heard these words distinctly uttered by a
voice from above, " King Edred now rests in peace." At this
sound, the horse on which he was riding, struck with awe at
the angel's voice, fell to the earth lifeless, but St. Dunstan
received no injury. The king's corpse was carried to Win-
chester, and interred by abbot Dunstan himself in the New
Minster with the highest honours. Edwy, the etheling, his
nephew, as being son of king Edward by St. Elfgiva, his
queen, succeeded him in his sole and imperial government,
and was crowned the same year at Kingston by Odo, arch-
bishop of Canterbury. The same year died Lewis, king of
the Western Franks, son of king Charles by a daughter of
Edward the Elder, king of England. Liutolf also, son of the
emperor Otho by another daughter of the same Idng Edward,
died this year, and was buried in the choir of the Abbey of
St. Alban, at Mentz.

[a.D. 956.] St^^- DTin3t^ll,~1:iTe-».aiM)ot, on his being cited
to judgment >lf.B:d^fc§j..^nf^Q^^^ crossed the sea,

and being hoi^'fli'idbly receivednby.fenHlf, a man of royal
descent, ha(| lod^ing^SsslglOKlp.dtiiii ihiki^ abbey of Blandin

^>v OOLLEGE J^

A.D. 957 9u0.] EDWY AND EDGAR. 101

(St. Peter's, at Ghent). Wulfstan, arelibiftliop of York, died
on the seventh of tlie calends of January [2Gth Dec.], and
was buried at Oundle. Oskytel, a reverend man, succeeded
him.

[a.d. 957.] The people of Mercia and Nortlnmibria threw
oft' their allegiance to Edwy king of England, disgusted at
the folly of liis government, and elected his cousin, the
etheling Edorar, kino-. So the kinc:dom was divided between
the two kings in such manner that the river Thames formed
the boundary of their respective dominions. It was not long
before Edgar, king of Mercia, recalled St. Dunstan, the
abbot, with honour and distinction. In the course of a short
time afterwards, Coenwald, the pastor of the church of
Worcester, a man of deep humility and also a monk, died,
and St. Dunstan, the abbot, was promoted to the vacant
bishopric, and consecrated by Odo, archbishop of Canterbury.
In the year following, Edgar king of Mercia entrusted him
with the government of the church of London, on the death
of its pious pastor.

[a.d. 958.] Alfsi, bishop of Dorchester, died: he was
succeeded l^y Byrhthelm, a mild, modest, luuuble, and benevo-
lent man. iS< Odo, archbishop of Canterbury, separated
Edwy king of Wessex and Elgiva, either because, as report
says, she was of near kin to him, or he was enamoured of her
instead of his wife. In the same year, the archbishop, a man
eminent for his talent, wortli, and virtues, and gifted with
a prophetic spirit, de])arted this life and was borne on angel's
wings to paradise. He was succeeded by ^Elfsige, bishop of
Winchester, and Byrhthelm, the fifth bishop of Wells, was
translated to the see of Winchester in Alfsin's place.

[a.d. 959.] jElfsige, archbishop of Canterbury, on his jour-
ney to Rome to obtain the pallium was frozen to death in the ice
and snow whilst crossing the Alps. Edwy, king of Wessex,
died, after a reign of four years, and was buried at AVinchester
in the Xew Minster. His brother Edgar, king of ISIercia, then
in the sixteenth year of his age, was chosen to succeed him by
the unanimous voice of the Anglo-Britons, in the 510th year
from the arrival of the Angles in Britain, and tlio 2G3rd year
after St. Augustine and his companions landed in England: and
tlie divided kingdoms were thus re-united. Byrhthelm, ])isho])
of the people of Somerset (of Wells) was elected to the

102 FLORENCE OF WORCESTEB. [aJ). 9.59, 960.

archbisboprio oi Canterbury, bat h being the eeii«^ c^^onion
that he 'w^is little qualified for so hish a dignity, he reruraed
to the ehiireh he had latelv quirted. Th«eapon. St. Dunstan,
nephew bv the brother's side of archbishop Aihelm. and abK^t
of G-lasxonburv and aft^^rards bi^K^ of Worcester and
London, iras bv divine grace and advic-e of the council chosen
zo be primate and patriarch of the metropolis of England.

Taught by his prud«it counsels, and those of other men
of THsdoai. Edgar, king of England, put do^m wi^edness in
aD quarters, severely punished the rebellious, cherished the
just and humble, restored and aMriehed the ruined houses of
God. and clearing the abodes of the el«gy of all that iras
light and tiifling. ass«nbled troc^ of mon^ and nuns to the
glory of the great Creator, establishing them in more than
forty monast«ies built by his command. All these he hwioured
as brethren, and loved as dear cinldren, admonishing with his
own mouth the pastors he set over them, to exhort their flocks
to live according to the monastic rule and wiiiiout refivoacfa,
and so W well-pleasizig in all things to Christ and his saints.
He was discreet, mild, humble, kind. lib«raL mercifuL power-
ful in arms, and warlike : defending royally the rights of his
kingdom by military force. He taught the people to give ready
sul}«nission to their lords, and the lofds to rule the pe<:^le with
justice. He enacted good bws, and his reign was most
peacefuL He neither provoked war in any quarter, nor was
compelled to engage in it by any provocaticm : but. by God's
aid, he guarded the fitmiiers of his kingdo«n wirh prudenc-e,
courage, justice, and modwation. In his wrath he was fierce
as a Hon ag-ainst his «iemies: so that not only the princes and
lords of the islands hdd him in awe, but the kings of many
nations w«e eith«- struck with t«Tor and alarm by the reports
of his wisdom and might, or loved, honoured, and extolled him
for his munificence. The «nperor Oiho the First, who had
married his aunt, seat him splendid jKescnts, and conduded a
treaty of lasting peace with him.

[jLJ>. 960.] St. Dunstan went to Bome in the third indic-
tion. and having received die pallium from pope John, returned
to his own country by a peaeeiful joomey. Alter the lapse of
a few months he wait to court, and ap^pealing to the king's
piety, suggested and humbly requested him to raise to the see
o€ Ww^eester St. Oswald, nephew of his predecessor Odo. a

A.D. 961— 0G9.] EDGAR. 103

devout, meek, aiid hunible monk, of whose growth in the fear
of God, and the vii'tues of a holy life, he was fully satisfied.
King Edirar having granteil this request, St. Oswald was
consecrated and enthroned a^ bishop bv St. Dunstan himself.
On the death of Guthard, bishop of Selse^', Alfred sueceedeil.

[a.d. 961, 962.]

[a.d. 963.] St. Ethelwold, a venerable ablx>t who had
been brought up by St. Dunstan, succeeded to the bishopric
of ^Vinche^te^ on the death of Byrhthelm ; and :lie same year,
by the king's command, he expelled the clergy, and established
monks in the Old ^liiit^ter. Being the king's principal coun-
sellor, he strongly advised him to expel clerks (secular canons)
from the monasteries, and give orders for their being replaced
by monks and nuns.

[a.d. 964.] Edgar the Pac-ific, king of England, married
Elfthrith the daughter of Ordgar, ealdorman of Devon, and
widow of Ethelwold, the illustrious ealdorman of East-Anglia,
by whom he had two sons, Edmund and Ethelred. He had
also by his first wife Ethelfleila the Fair, sumamed Eneda,
daughter of the ealdorman Ordmar, a son named Edward,
afterwards king and martyr ; and by St. WuHVith a daughter
named Edgitha, a \'ii*gin devoted to God. In the same year,
the king settled monks ui the Xew Minster, and at !Middleton,
and aj)|^M>inted Ethelgar abbot of the former, and Cyneward of
the latter.

[a.d. 965, 966.]

[-1.D. 967.] Edgar the Pacific, king of England, placed
nuns in the monastery at Piumsey, founded by liis grandfather
Edward the Elder, king of England, and aj^pointed St. MaTwyn
to be their abbess.

[a.d. 968.] Edgar the Pacific, king of England, sent
Sideman, a devout man, to govern the monks at Exeter, with
the rank of abVjot. On the death of Aldred, bishop of
Lindisfarne, he wa*^ -sUCcetMled by Alfsy.

[a.d. 969.] Edgar the Pacific, king of England, com-
manded St. Dunstan, archbishop of Canterbmy, and St.
Oswald and St. Ethelwold, bishops of "Worcester and "Win-
chester, to expel the clerks and settle monks in the larger
monasteries of Mercia. Thereupon St. Oswald, hi compliance
with tile king's wishes, expelled from the monastery the clergy
of the church of Worcester who refused to become monks:

104 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 970 — 973-.

but on their compljnng, as lie tells us, in the present year, he
accepted their monastic vows, and appointed Wynsin, a monk
of Rumsey, a man of deep piety, their abbot, instead of a dean.

[a.D. 970.] The relics of St. Swithin, the venerable bishop,
after having been buried one hundred and ten years, were
disinterred on Friday, the ides [the 15th] of July, in the
thirteenth indiction, by the venerable bishop St. Ethelwold,
and Elfstan and Ethelgar, abbots of Glastonbury and the New
Minster, and deposited with the utmost reverence in tlie
church of the apostles Peter and Paul (at Winchester). The
same year Oswulf, bishop of Wilton, died, and was buried at
Wilton : the venerable Alfgar was ordained in his stead.

[a.D. 971.] The etheling Edmund, king Edgar's son, died,
and was honourably buried in the monastery at Eumsey.
The same year Alphege, ealdorman of Hampshire, died, and
was buried at Glastonbury. Soon afterwards Ordgar, ealdor-
man of Devon, king Edgar's father-in-law, died, and was
buried at Exeter.

[a.D. 972.] Edgar the Pacific, king of England, caused the
church of the New Minster, began by his father, and completed
by himself, to be consecrated wdth great ceremony. The same
year Alfwold, bishop of Devon, departed this life in the nine-
teenth year of his episcopacy, and was buried at Crediton. On
the death of Oskytel, archbishop of York, his kinsman St. Oswald,
bishop of Worcester, was elected his successor in the archbishopric.

[a.D. 973.] [Stephen became the one hundred and thirty-
fourth pope]*/ from him St. Oswald received the pallium.
Edgar the Pacific, king of England, being then in the thirtieth
year of his age, received the benediction of the bishops
S S. Dunstan and Oswald, and all the other bishops of
England, and was crowned and anointed as king with great
]-)omp and ceremony at the city of Acamann (Bath ?) in the
first indiction, and on the fifth of the ides [the 11th] of May,
being Whitsunday. Shortly afterwards, he sailed round the
north coast of Britain with a large fleet and landed at Chester.
He was met, as he had given orders, by eight tributary kings,-

1 This should be Benedict VI., a.d. 972—974.

2 The Saxon Chron. and Henry of Huntingdon count only six
of these tributary kings. Of the last five here mentioned, two are
supposed to have been princes of N. Wales, one of S. "Wales, one of
Gaiway, and one of Westmoreland.

A.D. 974. 07").] EDGAR. 105

namely, Kcnnctli, king of the Scots, Malcolm, king of the
Cumbrians, ISIaocus (Magnus), king of several isles, and five
otliers, named Dufnal, biferth, Huwal (Howel ?), Jacob, and
Juehil, who swore fealty and bound themselves to military
service by land and sea. Attended by them, king Edgar one
day went on board a boat, and while they })lied the oars, ho
took the helm, and steered skilfully down the course of the
river Dee, and followed by his whole retuuie of earls and
nobles jiursued the voyage fi'oni the palace to the monastery
of 8t. John the Baptist. Having paid his devotions there, he
returned to the palace with the same pomp. He is reported
to have said to his nobles as he entered the gates, that any
successor of liis might truly boast of being king of England
when he should receive such honours, with so many kings
doing him homage. Bryhthelm, bishop of Somerset, died,
and was buried at Wells. He was succeeded by Cyneward,
abbot of jNIiddleton.

[a.d. 974.] This year there was .a violent earthquake
tiirough the whole of England. Eberger, archbishop of
Cologne, gave the abbey of St. Martin at Cologne to the Scots
for e\er. Minborin, a Scot, was the first abbot.

[a.d. 97-3.] King Edgar the Pacific, imperial monarch of
the English world, the flower and glory of a race of kings,
not less famous among the English than Eomulus among the
Romans, Cyrus among the Persians, Alexander among the
Macedonians, Arsaces among the Parthians, or Charles the
Great among the Franks — after accomplishing all his under-
takings in a manner worthy of a king, de})arted this life on
Thursday the eighth of the ides [the 8th] of July, and the
third indiction, in the thirty-second year of his age, the nine-
teenth of his reign in Mercia and Northumbria, and the six-
teenth of his reign over all England ; leaving his son Edward
heir to his crowii and virtues. His body was carried to
(ilastonburv and buried with royal pom]i. During his life
he Ibriiied a fleet of 8,600 stout ships, and after Easter, every
year, he used to collect a squadron of 1,200 ships on each of
tlu.' eastern, western, and northern coasts of the island ; and
make sail with the eastern squadron until it fell in with the
western, wliicli then ])ut about and sailed to the eastward,
while tlie western s(jua<b'()n sailed northward till it met with
tlie northern, which, in turn, sailed to the west. Thus, the

1CK> FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 975 — 977.

whole island was circumnavigated every summer, and these
bold expeditions served at once for the defence of the realm
against foreigners, and to accustom himself and his people
to warlike exercises. In the winter and spring he used to
make progresses through all the provinces of England, and
enquire diligently whether the laws of the land and his own
ordinances Avere obeyed, so that the poor might not suiFer
wrong and be oppressed by the powerful. By the former of
these practices he encouraged a daring spirit, by the other the
due administration of justice among his subjects, and in both
consulted the interests of his states and kingdom. Thus his
enemies on every side were filled with awe, and the love of
those who owed him allegiance was secured. At his death
the whole kingdom fell into a state of disturbance, and the
season of gladness which peace established in his time was
exchanged for one of universal tribulation. For, blinded by
presents of value, Elfhere,' the ealdorman of Mercia, and
many other nobles, expelled the monks from the monasteries
in which they had been settled by king Edgar the Pacific, and
introduced clerks with their wdves. But this madness was
opposed by some conscientious men, such as Ethelwine, eal-
dorman of East-Anglia, a friend of God, his brother Athwold,
and the religious ealdorman Brihtnoth, who met together and
declared that they could not permit the monks who possessed
all the religion of the kingdom to be driven out of it ; they
therefore assembled troops and defended the monasteries of
the Eastern- Angles with great spirit- Wliile these events
were occurring, there was a great dispute among the nobles
respecting the election of a king ; for some chose the king's
son Edward, and others his brother Ethelred. In consequence
of this, the archbishops Dunstan and Oswald, with their
suiFragans, and many abbots and ealdormeu, met in a body and
chose Edward, as his father had directed ; and after his election
the new king was crowned and anointed. Cyneward, bishop of
Somerset, died. A comet-star was seen in the time of autumn.

[a.D. 976.] England was visited wdth a severe famine.
In this year the great earl Oslac w^as expelled from England.

[a.D. 977.] A very numerous spiod was held at a vill
called KyrtHng in East-Anglia; at another synod which was

^ Elfhere was ealdorman, or govenior of the late kingdom, and now
important province, of Mercia.

A.D. 978 — 982.] EDWARD — ETHELRED. 107

afterwards held at Calne, a i-oyal vill, the whole witan of
Enirland there assembled, exee]>t vSt. Dimstan, fell from an
upj>er ehamber : some were kille<l on the spot, and some barely
escaped with their lives. A third s\Tiod was held at Ames-
bury. Sidenian, bishop of Devon, died.

[a.d. 978.] Edward, king of England, was foully murdered
at Corvesireate (Corfe), at the instigations of his step-mother,
queen Elfthritha, and was buried at Wareham without royal
pomp. His brother Ethelred, the illustrious etheling, a youth
of graceful manners, handsome countenance, and fine person,
was on tlie Sunday after Easter, the eighteenth of the calends
of May [l-lth April] in the sixth indietion, cro-vsnied and
consecrated king by archbishops Dunstan and Oswald, and ten
bishops, at Kingston. Elfwold, bishop of Dorchester, died,
and was buried at Sherborne. A meteor was seen all over
England at midniglit, which was sometimes the colour of
blood, and at other times fiery ; it afterwards formed rays of
light of various colours, and disappeared about day-break.

Fa.d. 979. j Elfhere, ealdorman of Mercia, came to Wareham
with a crowd of people, and caused the holy body of the pre-
cious king and martyr Edward to be disinterred : when it was
imwra})ped it was discovered to be sound and free from all decay
or corruption, and they washed it and clothed it afresh, and
carried it to Shaftesbury and entombed it with due honours.

[a.d. 980.J Ethelgar, the venerable abbot of the New
Minster, was made bishop of Selsey on the sixth of the nones
[the 2nd] of May. The same year, Southampton was laid in
ruins by Danish pirates, and nearly all the citizens were either
massacred or carried away captives. Shortly afterwards, the
same party laid waste the isle of Thanet. The same year, the
country about Chester was ravaged by Norwegian pirates.

[a.d. 981.] The monastery of St. Petroc the confessor, in
Cornwall, was rifled by the same pirates, who in the preceding
year laid Southam])ton in ruins, and who afterwards ]Hllaged
the coasts of Devonshire and Cornwall. Elfstan, bishop of
Wilton, die<l, and was succeeded by Sigeric.^ Wulfstan, dean
of GlastonVjury, a man eminent for piety, died.

[a.d. 982.] Three pirate ships came to the coast of Dorset,

^ There is some confusion in tlie successic'ii of tue bishops of Wilton :
see the list at the end of Florence of Worcester's Chronicle, and
William of Malmesbury de Pontif. Lil). ii.

108 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 983 — 988,

and the pirates ravaged Portland. London was destroyed
by fire. Etlielmar, ealdorman of Hampshire, and Edwin,
ealdorman of Wessex, died : the one was buried at Abingdon,
and the otlier in the New Minster at Winchester. Herekive,
abbess of Shaftesbury, and Ulfwin, abbess of Wareham, de-
parted this Hfe. The same year, the emperor Otho II. having
gone to Greece, fell in with an army of Saracens, engaged in
a plundering expedition against the Christians, and, giving
them battle, gained the victory after great cjirnage on both
sides. As he was returning home, Otho, the son of his brother
Liutolf, son of the emperor Otho I., by a daughter of Edward
the Elder, king of England, died.

[a.D. 983.] Elfhere, ealdorman of Mercia, a kinsman of
Edgar, king of England, died, and was succeeded in his office
by his son Alfric.

[a.D. 984.] St. Ethelwold, bishop of Winchester, departed
this life, in the second indiction, on the calends [the 1st] of
August, and was succeeded by Elphege, abbot of Bath. He
had assumed the monastic habit in the abbey of Deerhurst.

[a.D. 985.] The venerable monk Edwin was appointed
abbot of the monastery of Abingdon. On the death of
Cyneward, bishop of Wells, he was succeeded by abbot Sigar.

[a.D. 986.] Ethelred, king of England laid siege to
Rochester on account of some quarrel, but finding the diffi-
culty of reducing it, ravaged the lands of St. Andrew the
apostle. Alfric, ealdorman of Mercia, son and successor of
Elfhere, was banished from England.^

Minborin, the Scotch abbot, died in the abbey of St.
Martin, at Cologne, on Sunday the fifteenth of the calends of
August [18th July]. Killin succeeded him.

[a.D. 987.] This year^ two diseases unknown to the
English in past ages, viz., a fever among men, and a murrain
among cattle called in the English language " the skit,' and
which may be described in latin as a flux of the bowels, sorely
troubled the whole of England, and raged in every part of it
beyond description, causing great mortality among the people
and the universal loss of cattle.

[a.D. 988.] Watchet was pillaged by Danish pirates, and
they even slew the governor of Devon, whose name was

^ According to the Saxon Chron., a.d. 985. ^ jj^ ggg.

A.D. 989 092.] TRIBUTE TO THE DANES. 109

Goda, and the most valiant thane Stronwokl, and several
others ; but more of the Danes were killed, and the English
remained masters of the field of death. St. Dunstan, the
archbishop, died on Saturday the fourteenth of the calends of
June [19th May] in the tirst indiction ; and was succeeded
by Ethelgar, who had been a])pointed the first abbot of the
New Minster by St. Ethelwold bishop of Winchester, and was
afterwards bishop of the South-Saxons (of Selsey).

[A.D. 989.]

[a.d. 990.] Sigeric, bishop of "Wilton, succeeded Ethelgar,
archbishop of Canterbury. He expelleil the clerks of Canter-
bury, and introduced monks. On the death of Alfsy, bishop
of Lindisfarne, he was succeeded by Aldliun.

[a.d. 991.] This year, the Danes under the command of
Justin and Guthmund, son of Steitan, laid I]>swich in ruins.
Byrhtnoth, the intrepid ealdorman of Essex, fought a battle
against them near Maldon ; but after great slaughter on both
sides, the Danes' fortune was in the ascendant. In the same
year, by the advice of Sigeric, archbishop of Canterbury, and
the ealdormen Ethelward and Alfric, a tribute was given to
the Danes for the first time ; ten thousand pounds being paid
to them in consideration of their desisting from the constant
pillage, burnings, and homicides which they practiced all
along the coast, and of their concluding a settled peace. St.
Oswald the archbishop, by divine aid, and encouraged by
the supjiort of Esowy, bishop of Lincoln, on Tuesday the
sixth of the ides [the 8th] of November, consecrated the
monastery of Rumsey, which he and Ethelwine, ealdorman of
East-Anglia, the friend of God, had built.

[a.d. 992.] St. Oswald, the archbishop, departed this life
and soared to the blissful kingdom of heaven, in the fifth
indiction, on Monday the second of the calends of March
[29th February], and was interred in the church of St. ISIary
at Worcester, which he had built from the foundations. He
was succeeded by Aldulph, the venerable abbot of Peter-
borough, in whose stead Kenulf was appointed abbot. Shortly
after the death of St. Oswald, Ethelwine the ealdorman of
famous memory, and the friend of God, departed this life.
He was younger than his brothers Ethelwold, Alfwold, and
Ethelsine : but he excelled them in meekness, i)iety, goodness,
and justice ; and, bemg a man of the highest worth and

110 FLORENCE OR WORCESTER. [a.D. 992 — 994.

purity, was, we may be permitted to believe, admitted among
the citizens of Paradise. His corpse was conveyed with great
pomp to Rumsey, and interred there by St. Elphege, bishop
of Winchester. By order of Etheked king of England, after
consulting his nobles, the strongest-built ships from every part
of England were assembled at London ; and the king man-
ning them Avith a chosen body of troops, gave the command to
Alfric, already mentioned, and Thored, both ealdormen, with
Elfstan, bishop of Wilton, and bishop Esowy, with directions
to blockade the Danish force in some port, and compel it to
surrender. But ealdorman Alfric sent a private message to
the enemy, advising them to be on their guard, and take care
that they were not taken by surprize, and surrounded by the
king's fleet. The ealdorman himself, a singular example of
wickedness, in the night preceding the day which the English
had fixed for bravely engaging the Danes, clandestmely joined
the Danes with his whole force, and lost no time in making a
disgraceful retreat with them. As soon as the king's fleet
discovered this, it sailed in pursuit of the fugitives ; one
ship only was soon taken, and after all the crew^ were dis-
patched, given up to pillage. The rest of the fleet which
was making its escape was accidentally met by the ships of
the Londoners and East-Angiians, and a battle was fought in
which many thousands of the Danes fell. Ealdorman Alfric's
own ship with its armed crew was captured by the "sictors,
Alfric himself escaping with great difliculty.

[a.D. 993.] This year the aforesaid Danish army took
Bamborongh by storm, and carried oif all that was found
in store there. They then directed their course to the river
Humber, and, burning many vills, and butchering many people,
took much booty in Linclsey and Northumbria. The pro-
vincials hastily assembled to oppose them ; but at the moment
of attack, their leaders Frana, Frithogist, and Godwin, being
Danes by the father's side, betrayed their followers and gave
the signal for flight. The same year Alfgar, the sou of Alfric,
the ealdorman, before-mentioned, was deprived of sight by
command of king Ethelred.

[a.D. 994.] Anlaf (Olaf) king of Norway^ and Sweyn king
of Denmark arrived in London with ninety-four gallies on the

^ Olaf Trygvisson reigned from about a.d. 995 to 1000 See hislago
in Laing's Heimskringle, vol. i., p. 367.

A.D. iX^-l:, &{*0.] RAVAGES OF THE DAyE>. Ill

day of the XatiWty of St. Mary [Sth September]. an<l soon
afterwards made an attempt to break down the walls and bum
the city ; Init by the aid of God and his mother ^lary, the
enemy was repulsed witli considerable loss. Roused to fury
and despair, they forthwitli diew ott* frum the place, and in
the first instance overran the coasts of Essex and Kent, and
afterwards Sussex and the j^rovince of Hants, burning
the villages, laying waste the lands, putting numbers of
people to death by fire and sword, without regard to sex,
and sweepinar otf an immense booty. At last, seizing horses,
they rode v.-ildly tln-ough many pro\-inces. and slaughtered the
whole poj^ulation with savage cruelty. s})aring neither the
women nor children of tender aore. Then king Ethelred, by
the advice of his nobles, sent envoys to them with a promise
of tril>ute and regular pay if they would entirely desist from
their barbarities. Consenting to the king's proposal, they
returned to their ships, and. assembling their whole force at
Southampton, wintere<:l there. Their pay was defrayed by
Wessex ; but the tribute, amounting: to sixteen thousand
pounds, was levietl throughout aU Encrland.

Meanwhile. Elphecre, bishop of Winchester, and the noble
ealdorman Ethelward. went to king Olaf by order of king
Ethelred. and ha^-ing gi^•en hostage??, conducted him with
honour to the royal \-ill of Andover where the king was
residine. The king treated him with great distinction, and
causing him to l>e confirmed by the bi^ho}>, adopted him a« Ids
son. and made him a royal present. He. on his part, promised
king Ethelred that he would never asrain in\-ade England ; and
afterwards returning to his fleet, sailed for his own kingdom
at tlie !•( ginning of summer, and faithfully kept his promise.

[a.d. 99'5.] A comet was seen. Alfric. a monk of Glaston-
bury- and bishop of Wilton. succee<.le<l Sigeric. archbishoj> of
Canterbury', and Brightwold succeeded ALtric at Wilton.
Lindisfanie-Ii is the name of an island conunonly called
Haliir-Ealond (Holy Island^. It is surroundeil by the sea,
but at the ebl) of tlie tide it may be approaches! dr\--shod
everv «iay. In this island was the episcopal see of Cuthl^ert
and hi-* pre<lecessors and succe**ors for a lonsr i»erio»l. At the
time [a.d. S7.i>] when Hiniruar and Hubba ravaced England,
Eanlulf, who was then bi>hop of Lin<li>farne, and the clerg\-
attached to his church, took the uncorrupted body of St.

112 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 996 — 999.

Cutlibcrt, and quitting the island on account of the cruelties
of the barbarians, wandered about with the body of St. Cuthbert
for some years, not having any settled abode, until at last the
episcopal see was fixed at Cunegaceastre (Chester-le-Street),
in the time of Alfred, king of England. After the lapse of
many years, in the reign of Ethelred, king of England, the
lioly body was brought to Durham, in consequence of a divine
revelation, and the seat of the bishopric was fixed there. For
this reason the holy Bede places the original see at Lindis-
farne ; for in his time Durham was unknown. The bishop's
see was transferred to Durham in the year of our Lord 995.

[a.D. 996.] Alfric, archbisho}) of Canterbury, was con-
secrated.

[a.D. 997.] The Danish army which had remained in
England sailing round the coast of Wessex, entered the mouth
of the river Severn, and at one time ravaged North (South ?)
Wales, at another Cornwall, and then Watchet in Devon,
burning many vills and making great slaughter of the inhabi-
tants. Sailing round Penwith-Steort (the Land's-End) on
their return, they entered with their ships the mouth of the
river Tamar, which divides Devon and Cornwall, and carried
fire and sword as far as Lydford, meeting with no resistance.
They burnt besides the monastery of Ordulf, the ealdorman
of Devon, called Tavistock, and, returning to their ships
loaded with immense booty, wintered there.

[a.D. 998.] The army of Pagans, already mentioned,
landed at the mouth of the river Frome, and laid waste the
greatest part of Dorsetshire. It then made frequent descents
on the Isle of Wight, and back again to Dorsetshire, intent on
plunder, as usual ; and when it lay in the Isle of Wight it
gathered its means of subsistence from Sussex and Hampshire.
An army was several times assembled to oppose these ravages,
but as often as they were on the eve of battle, the English
were checked by some treachery or misadventure, and they
turned their backs and left the enemies masters of the field.

[a.D. 999.] The often-mentioned army of Pagans entered
the mouth of the river Thames and went up the Medway to
Rochester, and in a few days entrenched themselves round it.
The Kentish men assembled in a body to repulse them, and
fought a sharp battle with them, but after great slaughter on
both sides, the Danes remained masters of the field of death.

A.D. 1000— 1002.] ETIIELRED's WARS. 113

[a.d. 1000.] This year the Danish fleet, ab-eady mentioned,
sailed over to Normandy. King Ethelred ravaged nearly the
-whole territory of the Cumhrians. He gave orders to his
fleet to sail round North Wales and meet him at a place
appointed ; but it was prevented by strong winds : it, however,
laid waste the island of Mona.

[a.d. lOUl.] The body of St. Jve, the arclibisliop, was
discovered. The aforesaid army of Pagans sailing back from
Normandy to England entered the mouth of the river Exe,
and shortly afterwards marched to besiege Exeter. But when
they attempted to make a breach in the walls they were
repulsed by the citizens, who vigorously defended the place.
Thereupon, greatly exasperated, they overran De^'onshire,
burning the villages, laying waste the fields, and butchering
the inhabitants, in their usual manner. Thereupon, the people
of De^■on and Somerset assembled at a ])lace called Penho,
but tiie English, not being able to resist the numbers of the
Danes Mith their small force of soldiers, were routed with
great slaughter, and the Danes got the victory. Tlien, having
sup})lied themselves with horses, they did more mischief than
before through nearly all Devon, and returned to their ships
with immense booty. Thence they made for the Isle of
Wight, and meeting with no opposition, plundered as usual
there, sometimes in Hampshire, sometimes in Dorsetshire,
attacking the inhabitants and burning the ^■ills with such fury,
that neither the fleet dared to engage them by sea nor the
army by land, to the king's deep sorrow, and the unspeakable
distress of his peo])le.

[a.d. 1002.] Ethelred, king of England, having held
counsel with the great men of his kingdom, thought it expe-
dient to make a treaty witli the Danes, hiring tliem with
money, and paying them tribute to cease their ra\ages and
keoi> the peace. Leofsy, the ealdorman, who was sent to them
witli this i)roposal, urged them to accept the terms. They lent
a favourable ear to his message, and granted his re(|uest, fixing
the amount of tri1>ute for which they would keep the jieace.
Shortly afterwards twenty-four thousand pounds were paid to
them. Meanwhile, the said ealdorman Leofsy slew yEfic, a
noble, and the king's high-reeve, at wliich the king was so
incensed that he banished him from the country. The same
year king Ethelred married Emma, who is called by the Saxons

1

114 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1002, 1003.

Elfgiva, daughter of Eichard I., duke of Normandy. Aldiilf,
archbishop of York, having assembled his suffragan bishops,
abbots, priests, monks, and men of religion, on Wednesday,
the seventeenth day of the calends of May [15th April], m
the twenty-fifth year of the reign of Ethelred, king of England,
the fifteenth indiction, disentombed the relics of St. Osvv'ald
the archbishop, and deposited them with great ceremony in a
shrine which he had caused to be prepared. He himself died
shortly afterwards, that is, on the second of the nones [the 6th]
of May, and was bui'ied in the church of St. Mary, at
Worcester : he was succeeded by abbot Wulfstan. The same
year king Ethelred gave orders for the massacre of all the
Danes of every age and both sexes, in consequence of theii'
haA-ing conspired to deprive him and his nobles of their life
and kingdom and reduce the whole of England under their
dominion.

[a.D. 1003.] In this year, through the contrivance, negli-
gence, or treachery of Hugh, a Norman covnit,^ queen Emma's
steward of Devon, Sweyn, kmg of Denmark, took Exeter by
storm, and levelling the wall from the eastern to the western
gate, retired to his ships loaded with booty. After this, while
he was ravaging Wiltshire, a large body of the men of Hants
and Wilts assembled and marched boldly against the enemy
to give them battle ; but w^hen the two armies came in sight
of each other, Elfric, the ealdorman already mentioned, who
was then in com^mand of the English, immediately resorted to
his old devices, and feigning sickness, began to vomit, declaring
that he w^as so ill that he could not fight the enemy. His
troops perceiving his inactivity and cowardice, marched away
in great sorrow, without joining battle; as it is said in the old
proverb: "w^hen the general fails, the army quails."- Sweyn
observing that the English faltered, led his forces to the city
of Wilton, which he plundered and burnt. In this manner
he burnt Searebury (Sarum), and then returned to his ships.

Kilian, a Scot, and abbot of the Scottish monastery of St.
Martin, died on the nineteenth of the calends of January [14th
December]. Helias, a Scot, succeeded him.

Sweyn, king of Denmark, landed from his fleet at Norwich,

^ The Saxon Chron. calls Hugh " a French churl."
^ In the Sax. Chron. two rhyming verses. See the note to Henry of
Huntingdon's Hist, Antiq. Lib., p. 185.

A.D. 1005, lOOC] WARS WITH THE DANES. 115

which he pillaged and burnt. Then Ulfkytel, the resohite
ealdorman of East-Anglia, being taken by surprise, and having
no time to assemble troops against the enemy, hehl council
with the East-Anglian nobles and made peace with the king.
But he broke the treatv' three weeks afterwards, and landing
liis forces secretly, assaulted Thetford, which he pillaged, and
after remaining there one night set it on fire at daybreak.
On hearing this Ulfkytel ordered some of the country people
to destroy the enemy's ships ; but they either did not venture,
or neglected, to obey his orders. Meanwhile he got his troops
together as quietly and (|uickly as he could, and led them
against the enemy. Meeting them with an inferior force as
they were retreating to their ships, a hard-fought battle ensued,
in which some of the East-Anglian nobles fell; and after
great slaughtt.-r on both sides, the Danes escaped with extreme
diiiiculty. Indeed, if the East-Anglians had been in full force
they would never have got back to their ships ; for they con-
fessed themselves that they had never sustained 4jo fierce and
determined an attack a.s that of the ealdorman Ulfkytel.

[a.d. lOOo.] This year England was visited with a severe
and general famhie, in consequence of which the Danish king
Sweyn withdrew to Denmark — to return shortly afterwards.
On the death of Alwine, bishop of Wells, he was succeeded
by Living, also called Athelstan.

[a.d. 1006.] Alfric, archbishop of Canterbury, died, and
was succeeded by Alphege, bishop of Winchester, to which see
Kenulf, abbot of Peterborough, v^as preferred.

King Ethelred stripped AV'ulfgeat, son of Leofsy, his prin-
cipal favourite, of his estates and honours, on account of his
unrighteous judgments and arrogant deeds. The crafty and
treacherous Edrie Streon insidiously plotting against the noble
ealdonnan yElihelm, prepared a great entertainment at Shrews-
bury, to which he invited him. iElihelm accepting the invita-
tion was welcomed by Edric Streon as his intimate friend ;
but on the third or fourth day of the feast, he took him to hunt
in a wood where h<» had laid an ambuscade ; an«l when all
were engaged in the chace, a rufhan of Shrewsbury called
Godwin Port-Hund, which signifies the town's hound, who had
bei n long bcfor*^ brilxnl by the ])rofuse gifts and promises of
Edric to commit the crijue, suchlciily s])rung from his andjusk
and basely assassinated the ealdorman ^^^Ifhelm. A short time

i2

116 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER. [a.D. 1006, 1007.

afterwards, his sons Wulfheag and Ufgeat were, by king
Ethelred's orders, deprived of sight at Corsham, where he wa^
then residing. Kenulf, bishop of Winchester, died, and was
succeeded by Ethelwold.

In the month of July following, an immense army of Danes
came over to England, and landing at the port of Sandwich,
destroyed with fire and sword all that stood in their way, and
pillaged to a vast extent both in Kent and Sussex. In con-
sequence, king Ethelred collected an army in Mercia and
Wessex, and resolved to give them battle with great vigour ;
but they were little disposed to meet him openly in the field,
but made frequent expeditions for pillage in various quarters,
and then retreated to their ships according to their usual tactics.
In this way they harassed the English army during the whole
autumn ; but when it was disbanded on the approach of winter,
the Danes crossed over to the Isle of Wight with their enormous
booty and sojourned there until the feast of our Lord's Nativity ;
at which, as the king was then in Shropshire, they went through
Hampshire into Berkshire, and burnt Reading, Wallingford,
Cholsey, and many villages. Moving from thence and crossing
Ashdown, they reached Cwichelmes-lawe (Cuckamsley-Hill).
Returning by another road they found the people of the
country drawn up in battle array near Kennet, and immediately
attacked them and put them to flight : they then retired to
tJieir ships with the plunder they had taken.

[a.D. 1007.] In this year Ethelred, king of England, with
the consent of his witan, sent envoys to the Danes with orders
to notify to them that he would supply them with pro^'isions
and pay them tribute, on condition of their desisting from
pillage and making and keeping a durable peace. They agreed
to his terms, and thenceforth tlie whole of England provided
them with subsistence and paid them a tribute of thu'ty-six
thousand pounds. The same year the king made the before-
mentioned Edric, son of Ethelric, ealdorman of Mercia ; he was
a man, indeed, of low origin, but his smooth tongue gained
him wealth and high rank, and, gifted with a subtle genius
and persuasive eloquence, he surpassed all his contemporaries
in malice and perfidy, as well as in pride and cruelty. His
brothers were Brihtric, Elfric, Goda, Ethelwine, Ethelward,
and Ethelmere, the father of Wulfnoth, who was the father of
G odwin, ealdorman of Wessex.

A.D. 1008, 1009.] ETIIELRED FITS OUT A FLEET. 117

[a.d. 1008.] Etiielrod, king of England, ordered ships to
be diligently built in all the ports, nialving every three hundred
and ten hides throughout England furnish one ship, and every
nine a breast-]>late and a helmet. When these ships were
ready, he put on board chosen troops, with supplies of pro-
visions, and assembled the fleet at Sandwich to guard the
coasts of the kingdom from foreign invasions. At that time,
or a little before, Brilitric, brother of the traitorous ealdorman
Edric Streon, a supple, ambitious, and proud man, falsely
accused to the king Wulfnoth his ealdorman in Sussex, who
immediately fled to avoid being arrested ; and collecting
twenty ships, made frequent descents and plundered the sea-
coast. But when it was notified to the fleet that whoever
would might easily take him, Brilitric went in pursuit of hun
with eighty ships. For a while he had a favourable voyage,
l)ut a violent storm suddenly arose which tossed and shattered
his ships and wrecked them on the shore, and Wulnoth burnt
them soon afterwards. On hearing tliis, the king with his
ealdormen and nobles returned home ; but the fleet by his
orders proceeded to London ; and the vast toil of the whole
nation was thus thrown away.

[a.d. 1009.] Thurkill, a Danish jarl, came over to
England with his fleet ; and afterwards, in the month of
August, another immense fleet of Danes, under the command of
Heming and Eglaf, touching at the Isle of Thanet, speedily
joined the other fleet. Both then sailed to the port of Sand-
wicli, where the troops landed, and proceeding to attack
Canterbui-y, tried to storm the place ; but the citizens with
the people of East-Kent quickly sued for peace, and obtained
it on j)ayment of three thousand pounds. The Danes went
back to their ships and directed their course to the Isle of
Wight ; then, according to their custom, they made i)iratical
descents on the coast of Sussex and Ham])shire and burned
several vills. Thereupon king Ethelrcd collected troo|).s from
all parts of England, and stationed them in districts lying
near the sea to check these irru])tions ; but, notwithstanding,
they did not desist from plundering wherever the locality j)er-
mitted. On one occasion, when they had been ])illaging further
inland than usual, and were on their return laden with booty,
the king took i)()ssession, witli many thousand armed men, of
the road they had to pa.ss in their way to their ships ; and as

118 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1009, 1010.

his whole army was assembled, resolved either to conquer or
die. But the traitorous ealdorman Edric Streon, his son-in-law
(for he had married his daughter Elgitha), used every effort
by insidious and perplexing counsels to prevent a battle and
persuade the king, for that time, to let the enemy pass. His
policy prevailed, and like a traitor to his country, he rescued
the Danes from the hands of the English, and suffered them to
escape. Drawing off their forces they with great joy regained
their ships. After this, when the feast of St. Martin [11th
November] was past, they sailed for Kent, and selecting their
winter quarters near the river Thames, forcibly obtained their
suppUes from Essex and other provinces on both banks of the
river. They also frequently attacked the city of London and
endeavoured to storm it, but the citizens repulsed them with
severe loss. On the death of Osbriht, bishop of Selsey, he was
succeeded by JElmar.

[a.D. 1010.] The before-mentioned army of Danes sallied
from their ships in the month of January, and traversing the
wood called Chiltern, marched to Oxford, which they plundered
and burned, pillaging the country on both sides the river
Thames as they returned to their ships. Receiving intelligence
that forces were assembled at London ready to attack them,
part of the army which was descending the right bank of the
river crossed it at a place called Staines, when both divisions
being united, they marched through Surrey, loaded with booty,
and regained their ships, which they refitted during Lent,
while they were stationed in Kent. After Easter [the 9th
April] they sailed to East-Anglia, and landing near Ipswich
marched to a place called Ringmere, where they knew that
Ulfkytel the ealdorman had posted his troops. They fought
a desperate battle with him on the third of the nones [the 5th]
of May,^ but when the fight was the thickest the East-Anglians
gave way, Thurkytel, surnamed Myren-Heafod,^ a Danish jarl,
being the first to flee. The Cambridge men stood their
ground a long time, fighting manfully ; but they were at last
defeated and forced to retreat. In this battle fell Athelstan,
the king's son-in-law, Oswy, a noble thane, and his son, Wulfric,
son of Leofwine, Edwy, brother of Elfric, before-mentioned,
with many other noble thanes, and immense numbers of the

^ On Ascension day [18th May], Sax. Chron. 2 The "Ant-head."

A.D. 1010, 1011.] TRIBUTE PAIP TO THE DANES. 119

common peojilo. The Danes, remaining masters of the field of
deatli, obtained ]K)Sse.ssion of East-Anglia, and, mounted on
liorsebaek, scoured the whole province during three months,
])lundt*ring, burning vills, and butchering men and beasts,
nitliour cessation ; in the fens also they did the same, and
afterwards pillaged and burnt Thetford and C':\. abridge.

After all this they returned to the river Thames, the infantry
embarking in s]ii})s, the cavalry proceeding on horseback. In
a few days they went on another plundermg expedition, taking
the direct road to Oxfordshire, which they first ravaged, and
tiien Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Hertfordshire, burn-
ing vills and butchering men and animals, and afterwards
retreating to their ships with much plunder. After this,
about the feast of St. Andrew the apostle [30th November],
they burned Northampton and as much of the surrounding-
country as they pleased, and then crossing the river Thames,
went into Wessex, and having set fire to Caningamersce
(Ke;yTisham?) and the greatest part of Wiltshire, they, as usual,
returned to their ships about Christmas.

[a.d. loll.] East-Anglia, Essex, Middlesex, Hertfordshire,
Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire,
half of Huntingdonsiiire, and a great part of Northamptonshire,
and, on the south side of the river Thames, Kent, Surrey,
Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire, and Berkshire, having been
ruined with fire and sword by the before-mentioned army of
Danes, Ethelred, king of England, and his witan ^ sent envoys
to them sueing for peace, and offering them pay and tribute if
they would desist from their ravages. Having received the
message, they accepted the proposals, but as the event showed,
not witliout guile and subterfuge ; for although they were
plentifully supplied with provisions, and the tribute they
demanded was paid, they continued to scour the country in
bands, laying wiiste the vills, spoiling some of the wretched
inhabitants of their goods, and killing others. At length,
between the feast of the Nativity of St. ^lary [8th September]
and that of St. Michael, they dug a trench, round Canterbury,
and laid siege to it. On the twentieth day of the siege,
through the treachery of the archdeacon .^Imar, wliosc life
St. EI])hege had formerly saved, one quarter of the city was

^ " The witan, both clergy and laity." Sax. Chron,

120 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1011, 1012.

set on lire, the army entered, and the place was taken ; some
of the townsmen were put to the sword, others perished ui the
flames, many were thrown headlong from the walls, some were
hung by then* private parts till they expired ; matrons were
dragged by their hair through the streets of the city, and then
cast into the fire and burnt to death ; infants, torn from their
mothers' breasts, were caught on the point of spears or crushed
in pieces under the wheels of waggons.

!RIeanwhile, Alphege, the archbishop, was seized, and being-
loaded with fetters was imprisoned and tortured in various
ways. ^Imar, the abbot of St. Augustine's monaster}*, was
permitted to depart ; Godwin, bishop of Rochester, was made
j)risoner, as well as Leofruna, abbess of St. Mildred,^ Alfrid,
the king's reeve, with the monks and canons, and vast numbers
of the people of both sexes. Then Christ's Church was plun-
dered and burnt, and the whole male population, including the
monks, women and children being excepted, were decimated ;
nine were put to death, and eveiy tenth pei*son suffered
to live. The numbers who perished in this decimation were
four monks and eight hundi*ed of the laity. "SMien the people
had been thus slaughtered, and the city pillaged and burnt to
the ground, Alphege, the archbishop, was brought out in
fetters and dragged along, severely wounded, to the ships ; then
he was again thi'ust into prison, where he underwent great
suffermgs durmg seven months. Meanwhile, the wrath of God
raged fiu'iously against that blood-thirsty people, and two
thousand of them perished from excruciating pains in the
bowels ; the rest being attacked in a similar manner were
admonished by the faithful to make satisfaction to the arch-
bishop ; but they deferred it, and the mortality still continued,
carrying them off by tens and twenties, and sometimes more.

[a.D. .1012.] Ediic Streon, the traitorous ealdorman, and
the great lords of the realm, of both estates," assembled in
London before Easter [13th April], and remained there until
the tribute of forty-eight thousand pounds promised to the
Danes v/as paid. Meanwhile, on the Holy Saturday, when
om* Lord rested in the grave [19th April], the Danes offered
to Alphege, the archbishop, his life and liberty on payment of
three thousand pounds, but he refusing such terms, they put off

^ lu oLe isle of Thanet. - Sax. Chron. ; regni primates. Florence.

A.D. 1012, 1013.] MURDER OF ST. ALPIIEGE. 121

liis execution until the next Saturday. When it aiTived, tlieir
fury was greatly inflamed against him, and having intoxicated
themselves hy deep draughts of ■wine, and being incensed at
Iiis having forbidden any ransom to be paid for his li})eration,
they brought him forth from his dungeon and dragged him to
their husting.^ Presently they started up, felled him to the
ground with the backs of their battle-axes, and showered on
him stones, bones, and ox-skulls. At length one of them,
whoso name was Thnnn, a man he had confirmed only the day
before, with compassionate impiety, split his liead with an axe,
and he instantly fell asleep in the Lord, on the thirteenth of
the calends of May [19th April], and his triumphant spirit
ascended to hea\'en. His coq^so was candied to London on the
day following, and being received by the citizens with deep
reverence, was inteiTcd in St. Paul's church by Ednoth, bishop
of Lincoln,^ and Alfliun, bishop of London. After these events,
the tribute being paid and the peace ratified by oaths, the
Danish fleet, which had before kept together, dispersed far and
wide ; but forty-five of tlie ships remained with the king, the
crews swearing fealty to him, and engaging to defend England
against foreigners, on condition that he supplied them with
food and raiment.

[a.d. 1013.] Living was preferred to the arclibishopric of
Canterbury. In the month of July, Sweyn, king of Denmark,
sailed with a powerful fleet to the port of Sandwich, and
having remained there a few days departed, and, sailing round
East-Anglia, entered the mouth of the river Humber ; thence
he went up the river Trent to Gainsborough, where lie
encamped. Earl Uhtred, with his Northumbrians and men of
Lindsey, in the first instance, and afterwards the inhabitants
of the Five Burghs, and, before long, the whole population
north of the Watling Street, that is, the road which the sons
of king Weatla made across England from the eastern to the
western sea, offered him submission ; and peace being ratified

^ Saxon Chron. The liuh-thiiuj -was the popular assembly, as well
as the court of judicature, of the Northmen — Florence uses the word
cnncU'ium.

- Of Dorchester. The see was not removed to Lincoln until about
the year lO.']-*) ; but Florence generally uses the latter title. See the
account of the translatiou in Henry of Huntingdon's pp. ^19 and
:{()4, Antlq. Lib.

122 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1013.

with him, delivered hostages and swore fealty to him ; upon
which he commanded them to supply his army with horses and
provisions. All this being accomplished, he committed the
ships and hostages to the care of his son Canute, and select-
ing an auxiliary force from his new subjects, undertook an
expedition against the East-Mercians ; and having passed the
Watling Street, published an order to his troops to the effect
that they should lay waste the fields, burn the villages, plunder
the churches, slay without mercy all the men who fell into
their hands, reserving the women to satisfy their lusts, and, in
short, do all the mischief they could. His men doing as they
were ordered, and revelling in all kinds of brutality, he came
to Oxford, and getting possession of it sooner than he expected,
took hostages and pushed forward to Winchester. On liis
arrival there, the citizens, panic-struck at his enormous cruelty,
at once made peace with him, and gave him such hostages as
he chose to demand. These being delivered, he moved his
army towards London, but many of his troops were drowned
in the river Thames, because they never thought of looking
for a bridge or a ford. Having reached London, he tried
various ways of taking it, either by stratagem or by assault ;
but Ethelred, king of England, with the citizens, supported
by Thurkill, the Danish jarl, so often mentioned, who was then
in the city with him, stoutly defended the walls and drove him
off. After this repulse, he first marched to Wailingford, and
then to Bath, pillaging and destroying as usual all that fell in
his way. There he sat down for a time to refresh his army ;
and Ethelmar, ealdorman of Devonshire, with the western
thanes, came to him and made their peace, delivering hostages.
Having accomplished all this according to his wishes, and
returned to his fleet, he was hailed and acknowledged king by
all the people of England ; if, indeed, he can be called a king,
who acted in almost all things as a tyrant. Even the citizens of
London sent him hostages and made peace with him, for they
were apprehensive that his fury towards them was raised to such
a pitch, that he would not only confiscate all their property,
but either have their eyes torn out, or cause their hands or
feet to be amputated. Finding things in this state, king
Ethelred sent his queen, Emma of Normandy, to her brother
Bichard II., earl (duke) of Normandy, together with his sons,
Edward and Alfred; attended by their tutor Alfliun, bishop of

A.D. 1013, 1014.] DEATH OF 8WEYN. 123

London, and Elfsy, abbot of Peterboroiiprh. He himsolf re-
mained for a time with the Danish fleet, wliich then lay in the
river Thames, at a place called Greenwich, and afterwards
sailed to the Isle of Wight, where he celebrated the feast of
the Nativity. After Christmas, he sailed over to Normandy,
and was received with due honour by earl Richard. Mean-
while, the tyrant Sweyn gave orders that his fleet should be
profusely supplied, and that an almost insupportable tribute
should be levied. Earl Thurkill issued the same orders with
respect to his fleet which lay at Greenwich. Besides all this,
both of them made excursions to plunder as often as they
chose, and committed great enormities.

[a.d. 1014.] The tyrant Sweyn, in addition to his endless
and cruel atrocities both in England and other countries, filled
up the measure of his damnation by daring to exact an
enormous tribute from the town where rests the uncorrupt
body of the precious martyr Edmund ; a thing which no one
had dared to do since the time the town was given to the
church of that saint. He frequently threatened, that if the
tribute were not speedily paid, he would burn the town and
its inhabitants, level to the ground the church of the martyr,
and inflict various tortures on the clergy. Moreover, he often
disparaged the martyr's merits, presuming to say that there
was no sanctity attached to him ; but thus setting no bounds
to his frow^ardness, divine vengeance did not suffer the
blasphemer to continue in existence. Towards evening of the
day on which he had held a general Thing-Court at Gains-
borough, repeating his threats while surrounded by throngs of
Danes, he alone of the crowd saw St. Edmund coming towards
liini with a threatening aspect. Struck with terror at this
spectacle, he began to shout with great vehemence : " Help,
comrades, help ! lo, St. Ednmnd is at hand to slay me."
While he spoke, the saint tiirust his spear fiercely through him,
and he fell from the war-horse on which he was seated, and
suftering excruciating torments until twilight, died in agony
on the third of tlie nones [the 3rd] of February.

As soon as he was dead, the bands of men belonging to the
Danish fleet elected his son Canute king. But the elders
of all England, unanimously, sent messengers in haste to
king Etheli-ed, saying that they neither did nor should love any
one better than their natural lord, if only he were willing to

124 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1014, 1015.

govern them more justly, and treat them with greater gentle-
ness than he had hitherto done. On recei\Tng this message,
he sent his son Edward to them, accompanied by his own
envoys, with gracious salutations to all his people, both high
and low, and assiu-ing them that for the future he would be a
gentle and lo\ing lord to them, consulting their wishes and con-
forming to theii* advice in ever;)i;liing, and would graciously
pardon whatever afironts they had put upon him or liis, either
by word or deed, if they all unanimously agreed, without
fraud, to receive him back as their king. To this they all
retm*ned a favourable reply. Then an act of plenary concord
was agreed to on both sides, both verbally and by a [solemn]
treaty. In addition, the chiefs of the nation pledged them-
selves imanimously not to suffer again a Danish king to reign
in England. This being settled, the English sent over to
Normandv, and during^ Lent the kino- was brousrht back with
the utmost expedition, and received with universal honour.

Meanwhile, it was agreed between Canute and the men of
Lindsey, that on their fiu-nishing him with horses for his troops,
they should join in a plundering expedition ; but before they
were equipped, king Ethelred came upon them with a powerfid
army, and ha\Tng driven out Canute and his naval force, laid
waste, and gave to the flames, the whole of Lindsey, putting as
many of the inhabitants as he could to the sword. Canute,
however, consulted liis safety by a hasty flight, and directing
his course to the south, quickly gained the port of Sandwich :
there he exhibited the hostages his father had received from
all parts of England, and ha^Tug cut off their hands and ears,
and slit their nostrils, suffered them to depart : he then sailed
for Denmark, intending to return the year following. To add
to all these calamities, king Ethelred ordered a tribute of
thirty thousand poimds to be paid to the fleet lying at Green-
wich. The sea broke its bounds on the third of the calends
of October [3rd September], and overwhelmed many vills and
great numbers of people in England.

[a.D. 1015.] Wliile a great coimcil was being held at
Oxford this year, the traitorous ealdorman, Edi'ic Streon,
perfidiously invited to his lodgings two of the most considerable
and influential persons in the Seven Burghs, Sigeferth and
^lorcar. and there caused them to be secretly murdered.
King Ethelred took possession of theii* effects, and ordered

A.D. 1015, lOlG.] Canute's successes. 125

Elgitlia, Sigeferth's widow, to be taken to the town of
Malmesbuiy. While slie was confined there, Edmund the
otheling canio and married lier against his fatlier's will, and
between the feast of the Assumption [15th August] and the
feast of the Nativity of St. Mary [8th September], he went to
the Five-burghs, and seizing the lands of Sigeferth and Morear,
compelled the ^■illeins to acknowledge him as their lord.
About the same time, king Canute arrived in the port of
Sandwich with a large fleet, and shortly afterwards, sailing
round the coa^t of Kent, entered the mouth of tlie river Frome,
and swei)t oft' much booty in Dorsetshire, Somersetsliii-e, and
Wiltshire. King Ethelred then lying sick at Corsham, his sou
Edward the etheling, on the one hand, and Edwin Streon, the
ealdorman, who was steeped in stratagems and deceit, on
the otlier, leN'ied a great army. But when their forces
were united, the ealdorman laid all manner of snares for
the etheling, and plotted his death ; which being found out,
they presently parted and made way for the enemy. Soon
afterwards, the same ealdorman inveigled the crews of forty
ships of the royal fleet, which were manned by Danes, to follow
liis fortunes, and joining Canute with them, placed himself at
his service. The West-Saxons also submitted to liim, giving
him hostages, and afterwaids furnished horses for his army.
On the death of Ethelwold, bishop of Winchester, he was
succeeded by Elsy, called also Elfwin.

[a.d. 1016.] Canute, Idng of the Danes, and the ealdorman
Edric Streon, the traitor, having before our Lord's Epiphanv
[6th May] crossed the river Thames at Cricklade, with a
]DOwerful body of horse, commenced hostilities in Mercia,
laying waste and burning many vills in Warwickshire, and
massacring all the people they met with. When this came to
the ears of the etheling Edmund, surnamed Ironside, he lost
no time in collecting troops; but when the army was mustered,
tlie ]M(Tcians r(ifused to engage with the West-Saxons and
Danes, unless they were joined by king Ethelred and the
Londoners ; in consequence, the army was disbanded, and
every one returned home. The feast (of Epij)hany) being
over, Ednmnd the ethohng gathered a still larger army, and,
when it was assembled, sent messengers to London requesting
his fatlier to join him as soon as possible with all the troops he
could nuister ; uj)on whicli, the king levied a number of

126 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1016.

soldiers and hastened to meet him. But vrhen the forces were
united, it was intunated to the long, that unless he took
precautions, some of the auxiharies would betray him to
the enemy. In consequence, disbanding his troops, he returned
to London, and the etheling went into Northumbria ; from
which many conjecture that it was liis intention to assemble a
still larger army against Canute ; but as Canute and Edric on
the one side, so he and Uhtred, earl of Northumbria, on the
other, ravaged several provinces. They first laid waste
Staffordshire, then Shropshire and Leicestershire, because the
people of those districts refused to take arms against the Danish
armv. Meanwhile, Canute and Edric Streon devastated,
first, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Nor-
thamptonshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire, and after-
wards Northumbria. On learning this, the etheling Edmund
desisted from ravaging the country, and hastened to his father
at London. Earl Uhtred hurried home, and, compelled by
necessity, submitted, with all the Northumbrians, to Canute,
and gave him hostages ; nevertheless, by Canute's command or
permission, he was put to death by Thurbrand, a noble Dane,
and Thurketil, the son of Neavan, fell with him. This crime
being perpetrated, Canute appointed Egric earl (of Nor-
thumbria,) in Uhtred's place, and then returning south with
great expedition by another road, he regained his ships with
his entire army before the feast of Easter.

About this time, on Monday the ninth of the calends of
May [23rd April], in the fourteenth indiction, Ethelred, king
of England, died at London, after a life of severe toils and
tribulations, which St. Dunstan, on liis coronation day, after
placing the crown upon his head, predicted, in the spirit of
prophecy, would come upon him : " Because," he said, " thou
hast been raised to the throne by the death of thy brother,
whom thy mother has slain, therefore hear now the word of
the Lord ; ihus saith the Lord : ' The sword shall not depart
from thy house, but shall rage against thee all the days of thy
life, cutting off thy seed, until thy kingdom become the
kingdom of an alien, whose customs and tongue the nation
which thou rulest knoweth not. And thy sin, and the sin of
thy mother, and the sin of the men who were parties to her
wickedness, shall be expiated only by long continued punish-
ment.' " His body was honourably interred in the church of

A.D. lOlC] CANUTE ELECTED KING. 127

St. l*aul the apostle. After his death, the bisliops, abbots,
ealdormen, aiid all who ranked as nobles in England, ai>sembled
together, and unanimou:<ly elected Canute their lord and king,
and having eonio to him at 8outhaiui)ton, and renounced and
repudiated all the descendants of king Etheh'ed, concluded
peace with liim, and swore fc-alty to him ; and he, on his part,
swore that, both as respected divine and secular atlairs, he
would be faithful to his duties as lord over them. But the
citizens of London, and some of the nobles who were then at
London, mianimously chose Edmund, the etheling, to be king.
Raised to the royal throne the intrepid Edmund went without
delay to AVessex, and being received with great joy by the
whole population, he quickly brought it under his rule ; and
the people of niiuiy provinces in England, heai'ing this, gave
lihu their voluntary submission.

Meanwliile, Canute sailed up to London, about the Rogation
days [7 til May], with his whole fleet, and on his arrival there
they dug a broad ditch on the south side of the Thames, and
di'agged their ships to the west of the bridge. They then
surrounded the city with a broad and deep trench, so as to
cut oft" all ingress and egress, and made frequent assaults on
it, but the citizens resisting them manfully drove them to a
distance from the walls. Therefore, raising the siege for the
present, and leavmg part of the army to guard the ships, they
made a forced march into Wessex, and allowed king Edmund
L'onside no time to get together his army. However, with
such troops as he was able to muster in so short a space of
time, he boldly encountered them in Dorsetshire, giving them
battle at a place called Pen, near Gillinghani, where he
defeated and i)ut them to flight. After midsummer, having
again assembled an army larger than before, he determined
to attack Canute with spirit, and fell hi with him in Hwiccia,
at a place called Scearstan.* Drawing up his army as the

' iSrcdraltdt. " Sherston in Wilts (tlie Sorstain, or Sorcstone of
Donii'sday), according to Canipilen ; but this is not 'in Hwiccia;
according to otliers, a bonndary stone separating the counties of
Oxford, Gloucester, Worcester, and Warwick. May not Cliimney be
the s])ot, a hamlet in Oxfordshire, in the pai'ish of liampton-iu-the-
Bush, near the edge of Gloucestershire ? the name of chimney being
mtrtdy a translation (introduced after the Nomiau Coniiuest of Scear-
ston or Seefjistan), Z'««. Skorsteen, 6V/?«.,Sckorsteen, a chimuvy ; and
may probably have owed its origin to a Saxon house or hall, conspi-

128 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER. [a.D. 1016.

nature of the ground and the strength of his force requu^ed,
he posted all his best troops in the first line, placing the rest
in reserve, and callmg upon each by name, exhorted and
implored them to bear in mind that they were about to
contend for their country, their children, their wives, and
theii' homes ; and having inflamed the ardour of his soldiers
by such exalted language, he ordered the trumpets to sound,
and the troops to advance slowly. The enemy's army did
the same. Having gained a position where they could join
battle, they attacked each other with loud shouts, fighting
desperately with sword and spear. King Edward Ironside
fought desperately in the first rank at close quarters, and,
while he superintended every movement, fought hard in
person, and often struck down an enemy, performing at once
the duties of a brave soldier and an able general. But Edric
Streon, the traitorous ealdorman, and Almar the Beloved, and
Algar, son of Meawes, who ought to have supported him, having
joined the Danes, with the provincials of Hampshire and
Wiltshire, and a -^^ast throng of the people, king Edmund's
army was over-matched and exhausted : still, on the first day of
the engagement, which was Monday, the battle was so hard-
fought and bloody, that both armies, being no longer able to
prolong the fight for very wearmess, drew off" at sunset of
their own accord. But the next day the king would have
utterly defeated the Danes had it not been for a stratagem of
Edric Streon, his perfidious ealdorman. For when the fight
was thickest, and he perceived that the English had the best
of it, he struck ofi' the head of a man named Osmaer, whose
features and hair were very like king Edmund's, and holding
it up, shouted to the English that they were fighting to no
purpose : " Flee quickly," he said, " ye men of Dorsetshire,
Devon, and Wilts ; ye have lost your leader : lo ! here I hold
in my hands the head of your lord, Edmund the king : retreat
with all speed." ^ The English were panic-struck at these

cuous for having a chimney, at a time when that luxury was elsewhere
unknown, or of very rare occurrence," Thorpe's note in the E. H.
Society's Edition of Florence of Worcester.

^ The account of this battle in the Saxon Chron. is very brief, omit-
ting any notice of the traitor Edmund Streon's stratagem. Henry of
Huntingdon gives J<n account of a similar ruse, but connects it with
the battle of Offington, fought shortly afterwards. He has preserved,

A.D. 1016.] LONDON BESIEGED. 129

■words, more from the atrocity of the manoeuvre, tlian from
their belief of what was aiiiiouuced ; so that some waverers
'were on the point of taking to flight, but as soon as it became
known that the king was alive thou- coiu*age revived, and
charging the Danes more vigorously than ever, tliey slew
great numbers, lighting with the utmost resolution until dusk,
wlien the armies sei)arated as they had done the day before.
But when the night was far advanced Canute gave orders for
his troops to leave their camp in silence, and marching
towards London regained his shi])s ; and shortly afterwards he
again laid siege to London.

When, however, day broke, king Edmund Ironside, discover-
ing: that the Danes had retreated, retired to Wessex with the
intention of raising a stronger army ; and the wily ealdorman,
Edric, perceiving his brother-hi-law's dauntless courage, went
over to him as liis rightful lord, and renewing the peace
between them, swore that he would henceforth be faithful to
Imn. In consequence, the Idng with the army he had
assembled for the third time raised the siege of London and
drove the Danes to theu' ships. Two days afterwards he
crossed the Thames, at a place called Brentford, and fought
a third battle with them, in which he defeated them and came
off v'ictorious. On this occasion many of the English were
drowned, while im])rudently crossing the river. Again the
king retired into Wessex to assemble a more numerous force,
whilst the Danes marched back to London, surrounded it with
their entrenchments, and assaulted it on all sides, but, by
God's help, they made no progress. In consequence, they
drew off with their fleet, and entering the river Arew^e
(Orwell ?), landed, and went to pillage m Mercia, slaughtering
all they met, and, burning the vills in their usual manner,
swept oft' the plunder, with which they returned to their
ships. The foot-soldiers were conveyed in thek' ships to the
river Medway, while those who were moimted di'ove thither
by land the cattle they had captured.

Meanwhile, king Ednumd Ironside assembled a powerful
army for the fourtli time, from all England, and crossing the
river Thames in tlie same place he had done before, speedily

as it slioulj seem, tlie identical words used by tlio traitor, " Flet Engle,
liet Engle; this is Edmund." — Antiq. Lib., p. lUO.

J

130 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER. [a.D. 1016.

entered Kent, and fought a battle with the Danes near Otford.
They were unable to withstand his attack, and turning their
horses' heads fled to She})pey. However, he slew all he could
overtake, and if the false ealdorman, Edric, had not held him
back at Aylesford from further pursuit, by his crafty per-
suasions, he woidd that day have gained a complete victory.
The king having returned into Wessex, Canute with his forces
crossed the river into Essex, and again pillaged Mercia,
ordering his army to commit greater enormities than before.
Readily obeying his orders, they butchered all who fell
into their hands, burned a great many vills, laid waste the
fields, and then, loaded with booty, regained their ships.
Edmund Ironside, king of England, went in pursuit of them
with the "army he had collected throughout the whole of
England, and came up with them, as they were retreating, at
a hill called Assandun,^ which means the Ass's hill. There
he quickly formed his army into three lines, supporting each
other ; he then went round to each division exhorting them and
adjuring them, mindful of their former valour and successes,
to defend themselves and his kingdom from the rapacities
of the Danes, and that they Avere going to engage with those
whom they had conquered before. Meanwhile Canute led
his troops by a slow march down to a level ground ; while,
on the other hand, king Edmund moved forward his forces
rapidly in the order he had marshalled them, and, giving the
signal, fell suddenly on the enemy. Both ai'mies fought with
desperation, and many fell on either side; but the traitor,
Edric Streon, perceiving that the ranks of the Danes were
wavering, and the English were getting the victory, fled with
the Magesaetas"^ and the division he commanded, according
to a previous understanding with Canute, leaving his lord,
king Edmund, and the English army in the lurch, and
treacherously throwing the victory into the hands of the
Danes. There were slain in this battle jElfric the ealdorman,
Godwin the ealdorman,^ Ulfkytel ealdorman of East-Anglia,
Ethelward the ealdorman, son of Ethelwin, ealdorman of
East-Anglia, the friend of God, and almost all the English
nobility, who never sustained so severe a shock in battle as on

^ Not Ashdown, as it has been stated, but probably Assington in
Essex.
- The people of the Hwiccas. See the note p. 32. ^ of Lindsey.

A.I>. lOlG.] DEATH OF EDMUND IRONSIDE. 131

tliat day. Eadnoth, bishop of Lincoln,' formerly abbot of
liaiiise}', and abbot Wulsy,'- were also slain ; having come to
otter up prayers to God for the troops engaged in the battle.
After the laj)se of a few day-^, when king Edmund Ir onside
still wished to renew the battle with Canute, the traitorous
ealdorraan Edrie, and some others, would not consent, but
counselled him to make peace with Canute and divide the
kingdom. At length he yielded to their suggestions, though
with great reluctance, and after an exchange of messages, and
hostages given on both sides, the two kings met at a place
called Deerhurst. Edmund and his friends took their station
on the western bank of the Severn ; and Canute, with his, on
the eastern bank. Then the two kings went in fishing boats
to an island called Olanege (Olney?)^ in the middle of the
river, and agreeing there on a treaty of peace, amity, and
fraternity, ratified by oaths, they divided the kingdom.
Wessex, East-Anglia, Essex, with the city of London, [ and*
all the country south of the Thames, were allotted to
Edmund, while Canute obtained the northern parts of Eng-
land ; but the supremacy of] the crown was still vested in
Edmund. Then, having exchanged their arms and dress, and
fixed the tribute to be paid to the fieet, the two kings parted.
The Danes returned to their ships with the plunder they had
taken, and the citizens of London having secured peace by
payment of a sum of money, allowed them to pass the winter
among them.

After these events, king Ecbiiund Ironside died at London,^
about the feast of St. Andrew the apostle [30th Nov.] in the
fifteenth indietion, but he was buried with his grandfather,
king Edgar the Pacific, at Glastonbury. On his decease,

' Of Dorchester.

- Of Ramsey.

' Henry of Huntingdon relates that the issue was decided by a sinpclo
combat between the two kings in this island. See the note to p. ItJO
of his History in the Ant'ni. Lib. Roger of Wendover gives the same
account.

^ "There is here a cliasm in all the MSS. of about a line. Imme-
diately following the word ' Lundonia,' 'Canute' is written in a later
hand. The words within brackets are supplied from R. de "Wend-
over.'*— Thorpe.

^ The Saxon Chronicle, as well as our author, is silent as to the
tragical death attributed to Edraiuid Ironside by Henry of Huntingdon
and Roger de Wendover, the latter of whom places the scene at Oxford.

J 2

132 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1016.

king Canute commanded all the bisliops, ealdormen, and chief
men of England, to assemble at London. ^Vlien they were
come before them, pretending ignorance, he shrewdly in-
quired of those who had been witnesses between himself and
Ednuuid when they concluded the treaty for amity and
partition of the Idngdom, what had passed between Edmund
and him with regard to Edmund's brothers and sons ?
Whether his brothers and sons were to succeed him in the
kingdom of Wessex if Edmund died in his (Canute's) life-
time? They immediately began to say, that they could
certainly affirm that king Edmund intended to give no part of
his kmgdom to his brothers, either diu-ing his lifetime or after
liis death ; and they added, that they knew that it was king-
Edmund's wish that Canute should be the guardian and
protector of his sons until they were of age to govern. But,
as God knows, they bore false witness and foully lied, tliinkiiig
that he would be more favoiu-able to them, and reward them
handsomely, for their falsehood. Instead of that, some of
tliese false witnesses were soon afterwards put to death by the
king's orders. After these inquiries, king Canute used every
effort to induce the great men of the realm, already mentioned,
to swear allegiance to him ; and they gave him their oaths
that they would elect him king and humbly obey him, and
find pay for his army ; and he, on his part, gi'V'ing them his
naked hand as his pledge, accompanied by the oaths of the
Danish chiefs, they utterly repudiated the claims of Edmund's
brothers and sons, and denied their rights to the tlu'one.

Edwy, one of these ethelings, the illustrious and much
reverenced brother of king Edmund, was at once, by a most
infamous policy of the wittan, sentenced to be banished.
Canute, having heard the flatteries of these men, and the
affront they had offered to Edwy, retired to his chamber in
grfcat joy, and calling Edric, the perfidious ealdorman, to his
presence, demanded how he could manage to deceive Edwy,
so that his death might be compassed. He replied that he
knew a man named Ethelward who could betray Edwy to
death easier than he could, and that the king might speak
with him and offer him a great reward. Having learnt the
man's name, the king sent for liim, and said designingly to
him : " Thus and thus has Edric the ealdorman spoken to me,
saying that you can contrive to lead Edwy the etheling to his

A

A.D. 1017.] CANUTE. 133

destruction. Only do Avhat Ave devise, and you shall be con-
firmed in the lionours and rank of your ancestors ; and find
means to take his life, and you shall be dearer to me than a
brother." He replied that he was ready to seek him out, and
betray him to death, if it was anyliow in his power. But he
made this promise without any intention to be Edwy's mur-
derer, and only by way of pretence, for he was of the noblest
blood in England. Leofsy, the reverend abbot of Thorney,
succeeded to the bishopric of Worcester.

[a.d. 1017.] In this year king Canute undertook the
government of all England, and divided it into four parts,
reserving Wessex to himself, and committing East-Anglia to
earl Thurkill, Mercia to Edi'ic the ealdorman, and Northum-
bria to Eric the earl. He also made a compact with the
nobles and all the peo])le, in which they joined ; and they
ratified a solemn concord between them on their respective
oaths, and thus terminated and put into oblivion all their past
animosities. Then king Canute, by the advice of Edric the
traitor, outlawed Edwy the etheling, king Edmund's brother,
and Edwy, who was called king of the churls. This Edwy
Avas in the course of time reconciled with the king, but Edwy
the etheling, betrayed by those he had hitherto supposed to
be his best friends, was the same year, by the order, and at
the instance of, king Canute, put to death, although innocent.
Edric also advised him to make away with the young ethelings
Edward and Edmund, king Edmund's sons; but as he thought
it Avould be a foul disgrace to him, if they were murdered in
England, he sent them, after a short time, to the king of
Sweden, to be put to death there ; but, although they were
allies, that king was by no means disposed to execute his
wishes, and he sent them to Solomon king of Hungary, to spare
their lives, and have them brought up at his court. One of
them, namely Edmund, in course of time died there ; but
Edward married Agatha, a daughter of the brother of the
emperor Henry, 1)y whom he had Margaret queen of the Scots,
Christina, a nun, and Edgar the etheling.^ In the month of

' Solomon was not king of Hungary till lOG-3. Stephen was king
from U'.n to lO.'JH. For the errors and improbabilities of this account
of the fortunes of Kchvard Ironside's descendants, wliich is given in
nearly the same way by Ordericus Vitatis, see the notes to that work in
Bohn's edition, vol. i., p. lis.

134 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1018 1020.

July king Canute married the queen Elgiva, king Ethelred's
widow ; and on the feast of our Lord's Nativity, which he
kept at London, he ordered Edric the perfidious ealdorman to
l)e slain in the palace, apprehending that he liimself might
some day become a A'ictim to his treachery, as he had his
former lords Ethelred and Edmund frequently deceived ; and
lie caused his body to be thrown over the city walls, and left
unburied.^ Along with him were slain Norman, son of Leof-
win the ealdorman, who was brother of earl Leofric, and
Ethelward son of Ethehnar the ealdorman, and Brihtric son
of Alphege, governor of Devon, all of whom were iimocent.
The king appointed Leofric ealdorman in his brother's place,
and afterwards treated him "^vith great kindness.

[a.D. 1018.] This year seventy-two thousand pounds were
levied from all England, besides ten thousand five hundred
pounds contributed by London, for the pay of the Danish
army. Eorty ships of the fleet remained with king Canute,
and the rest returned to Denmark. The English and Danes
came to an agreement at Oxford respecting the observance of
kmg Edgar's laws.^

[a.D. 1019.] Tliis year, Canute, king of the English and
the Danes, went over to Denmark, and remained there dm'ing
the winter. On the death of ^hnar, bishop of Selsey, Ethel-
ric succeeded.

[a.D. 1020.] King Canute returned to England, and held
a great council at Ckencester on Easter-day [17th April], and
outlawed Ethelward the ealdorman. Living, archbishop of
Canterbury, departed this life, and was succeeded by Ethel-
noth, surnamed the Good, son of Ethehnar, a noble. The
same year, the chiu-ch which king Canute and earl Thurkill
had built on the hill called Assendun^ was consecrated in their

^ Henry of Huntingdon gives a somewhat different account of the
period, the cause, and the mode of Edric's execution. See his history,
in Jnliq. Lib'., p. 19G.

2 The Danelag, or Dane-lavr, was in force through the whole of
En.^land to the n.e. of the Wathng Street. In c. 12 of king Edgar's
Laws, it is said, " I will, that with the Danes such good laws stand as
they may best chuse," &c.; and in the followuig chapter, " Let the
Danes chuse, according to their laws, what punishment they will adopt."

^ Assington, in Essex, mentioned before. One M.S. of the Saxon
Cliron. says : [Canute] " caused to he built there a minster of stone
and hme, for the souls of the men who were there slain," &c.

A.D. 1021— 102 7. J CANUTE. 135

presence by Wulfstan, archbishop of York, and se^ oral other
bishops, vrith great pomp and magnificence. On the death of
Aldhun, bisliop of Lindisfarne, that cluirch was bereaved of
pastoral care for nearly three years. A chapter of the canons
having assembled, when the election of a bishop Avas proposed,
a certain good priest named Edmund stood up, and said in
joke, •• Why do you not choose me your bishop?" Those
present did not treat this as a jest, but elected him, and after
appointing a fast for three days, consulted St. Cuthbert's will
respecting it. And the priest stood at the saint's head, cele-
brating mass, a voice was heard, while he was in the middle
of the canon, ajjparently proceeding from the saint's tomb,
which tlirice named Edmund bishop.

[a.d. 1021.] Betbre the feast of St. Martin [11th Nov.],
Canute, king of England and Denmark, banished from England
Thurkill, the earl often mentioned, and his wife Edgitha.
Algar, bishop of the East-Angles (of Elmham) died, and
was succeeded by Alwin.

[a.d. 1022.] Kthelnoth, archbishop of Canterbury, Mcnt
to liome, and was received with great honour by pope
Benedict, who gave him the pallium.^

[a.d. 1023.] The body of St. Alphege, the mart\T, was
translated from London to Canterbury. Wuilstan, archbishop
of York, died at York on the fifth of the calends of June [28th
May], but his body was carried to Ely and buried there. He
Avas succeeded bv ^Elfric Puttuc, i)rovost of Winchester.
[a.d. 1024.] "

[a.d. 1025.] Edmund, a monk, was made bishop of Lindis-
farne.

[a.d. 1026.] ^Ifric, archbishop of York, went to Rome,
and received the pallium from pope John. Richard II., duke
of Normandy, died, and was succeeded by Richard III., who,
dying the same year, was succeeded by his brother Robert.

[a.d. 1027.] Canute, king of England and Demnark,
received intelligence that the Norwegians held tlieir kinf>-
Olaf in contempt on account of his meekness and simplicity,
liis justice and piety. In consequence, he sent large sums of
gold and silver to certain of tliem, earnestly entreating them
to reject and depose Olaf, and submitting to him, accept hmi

1 The Sax. Chron. gives fuller details of the journey and ceremonial.

136 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1028 1031.

for their kiiig. Thev greedily accepted liis bribes, and caused
a message to be retiinied to Canute that they were prepared
to receive liim whenever he cliose to come.

[a.D. 1028.] Canute, king of England and Denmark,
■went over to Norway with fifty stout siiips, and expelled
kuig Olaf from the kingdom, which he subjugated to himself.

[The same year was born Marianus, of Ireland, the cele-
brated .Scot, by whose study and pams tliis excellent Chronicle
was compiled from various books.]

[a.D. 1029.] Canute, king of England, Denmark, and
Xorway, returned to England, and after the feast of
8t. Martin [11 Xov.] banished Hakon, a Danish earl, who
had married the noble lady Grunilda, his sister's daughter by
,Wyrtgeorn, king of the "Winidi, sending him away under
])retence of an embassy ; for he feared that the earl would
take either his life or his kinsrdoms.

[a.D. 1030.] The before-mentioned, earl Haco perished
at sea : some, however, say that he was killed in the islands
of Orkney. Olaf, king and martyr, son of Harold, king of
Xorway, was wickedly slain by the Xorwegians.

[a.D. 1031.] Canute, king of England, Denmark, and
Xorway, went in great state fi'om Denmark to Rome,^
and, ha\ing made rich offerings in gold, silver, and other
precious objects, to St. Peter, prince of the apostles, he
obtained fi'om pope John that the English School should be
free from all tribute and taxes. On his joiu'ney to Rome and
back, he distribiued large ahns among the poor, and procured
at great cost the abolition of the tolls le\'ied at many barriers
on the roads, where they were extorted from pilgrims. He also
vowed to God, before the tomb of the apostles, that he would
amend his life and conduct ; and he sent thence a memorable
letter by the hands of Li^'ing, the companion of his joiu'ney,
(a man of great prudence, at that time abbot of Tavistock,
and afterwards, in the course of the same year, Ednoth's
successor in the see of Crediton), and others his envoys to
England, wliile he himself came back from Rome by the same
road he went there, \-isiting Denmark before his return to
England. I think it right to subjoin the text of this letter.

^ The Saxon Cliron. and Heniy of Huntingdon agree with Florence
as to the date of Canute's journey to Rome; but it was probably five
or six years earher. Wippo, a cotemporary vrriter, places it in 1027.

A.D. 1031.] Canute's letter. 137

" Canute, king of all England, and of Denmark, Norway,
and part of Sweden, to Ethelnoth, metropolitan, and Alfrie,
arelibi.shop of York, and to all the bishops and prelates, and
to the whole nation of the English, both the nobles and the
commons, ijreetins: : —

'' I notify to you that I liavo lately taken a jonrncy to
Rome, to pray for the forgiveness of my sins, and for the wel-
fare of my domhiions, antl the people under my rule. I had
long sinee vowed this journey to God, but I have been
hitherto prevented from aecomplishing it by the aftairs of my
kingdom and other causes of impedhnent. I now return most
humble thanks to my God Almighty for suffering me in my
lifetime to visit the sanctuary of his apostles, 8S. Peter and
Paul, and all others which I could find either within or
without the city of Rome, and there in person reverentially
worshij) according to my desire. I have performed this
chiefly, because I have learnt from wise men that St. Peter the
apostle has received from God great power in binding and in
loosing, and carries the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and
therefore I esteemed it very profitable to seek his special
patronage with the Lord.

" Be it knovni to you that, at the celebration of Easter, a
great assembly of nobles was present with our lord, the pope
John, and Conrad the emperor ; that is to say, all the princes
of the nations from Mount Garu-anus to the neiorhbouring sea.
All these received me with lionour and presented me with
magnificent gifts ; but more especially was I honoured by the
emperor with various gifts and valuable presents, l)oth in
gold and silver vessels, and in palls and very costly robes.
1 spoke witli the emperor himself, and the lord pope, and the
princes who were there, in regard to the wants of my people,
English as well as Danes ; that there should be granted to
them more equal justice and greater security in their journeys
to Rome, and that they should not be hindered by so many
barriers on the road, nor harassed by unjust tolls. The
emperor a.ssented to my demands, as well as king Rodolph, in
whose dominions^ these ])arriers chiefly stand ; and all the
princes made edicts that my people, the merchants as well as
those who go to j^ay their devotions, shall i)ass to and fro in
their journies to Rome in ])eace, and under the security of just
laws, free from all molestation ])y the guards of barriers or

138 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1031.

the receivers of tolls. I made further complaint to my lord the
pope, and expressed my high displeasure, that my archbishops
are sorely aggrieved by the demand of immense sums of money,
when, according to custom, they resort to the apostolical see
to obtain the pallium ; and it is decreed that it should no
longer be done. All things, therefore, which I requested for
the good of my people from my lord the pope, and the
emperor, and long Rodolph,^ and the other princes through
whose territories our road to Rome lies, they have most freely
granted, and even ratified their concessions by oath ; to which
four archbishops, twenty bishops, and an innumerable multi-
tude of dukes and nobles who were there present, are
witnesses. Wherefore I return most hearty thanks to Almighty
Ood for my having successfully accomplished all that I had
desired, as I had resolved in my mind, and having satisfied my
wishes to the fullest extent.

^' Be it known therefore to all of you, that I have humbly
vowed to the Almighty Grod himself henceforward to amend
my life in all respects, and to rule the kingdoms and the
people subject to me with justice and clemency, giving equit-
able judgments in all matters ; and if, through the intem-
perance of youth or negligence, I have hitherto exceeded the
bounds of justice in any of my acts, I intend by God's aid to
make an entire change for the better. I therefore adjure
and command my counsellors to whom I have entrusted the
affairs of my kingdom, that henceforth they neither commit
themselves, nor suffer to j)revail, any sort of injustice through-
put my dominions, either from fear of me, or from favour to
any powerful person. I also command all sheriffs and magis-
trates throughout my whole kingdom, as they tender my
regard and their own safety, that they use no unjust violence
to any man, rich or poor, but that aU, high and low, rich or
poor, shall enjoy alike impartial law ; from which they are
never to deviate, either on account of royal favour, respect of
person in the great, or for the sake of amassing money wrong-
fully, for I have no need to accumulate wealth by iniquitous
exactions.

" I wish you further to know, that, returning by the way I
went, I am now going to Denmark to conclude a treaty for a

1 V

Eodolph II., king of Burgundy.

A.D. 1032—1034.] CANUTE'S LETTER. 139

solid peace, all the Danes concurring, with those nations and
peoples who would have taken my life and crown if it liad
been possible ; but this they were not able to accomplish, God
bringing their strength to nought. — May He, of his merciful
kindness, ujihold me in my sovereignty and honour, and hence-
forth scatter and bring to nought the power and might of all
my adversaries ! AYhen, therefore, I shall have made peace
with the surrounding nations, and settled and reduced to
order all my dominions in the East, so that we shall have
nothing to fear from war or hostilities in any quarter, I pro-
pose to return to England as early in the summer as I shall
be able to fit out my fleet. I have sent this epistle before me
in order that my people may be gladdened at my success ;
because, as you yourselves know, I have never spared, nor
vdW I spare, myself or my exertions, for the needful service of
my whole people. I now therefore command and adjure all
my bishops and the governors of my kingdom, by the duty
they owe to God and myself, to take care that before I come
to England all dues belonging to God, according to the old
laws, be fully discharged ; namely, plough-ahns, the tythe of
animals born in the current year, and the pence payable to
St. Peter at Rome, whether from towns or vills ; and in the
middle of August the tythes of corn ; and at the feast of
St. Martin the first-fruits of grain (]myable) to every one's
parish church, called in English ciric-sceat. If these and
such-like dues be not paid before I come, those who make
default will incur fines to the king, according to the law,
which will be strictly inforced without mercy. Farewell."

[a.d. 1U32.] Tlie cluirch of St. Edmund, king and mart}T,
was dedicated this year.

[a.d. 1033.] Leofsy, bishop of the Hwiccas, a devout and
humble man, died at the episcopal vill of Kempsey, on
Tuesday, the fourteenth of the calends of September [19th
August], and, as we may be allowed to hope, ascended to the
heavenly realms : his V)ody was buried with honour in the
church of St. Mary, at Worcester. Brihteag, abbot of
Pershore, sister's son of Wulfstan, archbishop of York, was
raised to the vacant see.

[a.d. 1034.] Eatheric, bishop of Lincoln [Dorchester], died,
and was buried in the abbey of Ramsey ; Ednoth succeeded
him. Malcolm, king of the Scots, died.

140 FLORKNCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1035, 1036.

[a.d. 103,").] Canute, king of England, before his deatli,
gave tlie kingdom of Norway to Swe^n, who was reported
to he his son by Elfgiva of Northamj)ton, the daughter of
Alf liehn the eakfornian, and the noble lady Wulfruna. Some,
liowevor, asserted that this Elfgiva desired to have a son by
the king, but as she could not, she caused the new-born child
of a certain priest to be brought to her, and made the king
fully belie\e that she had just borne him a son. He also
gave the kingdom of Denmark to Hardicanute, his son by
the queen Elfgiva. Afterwards, the same year, he departed
this life at Shaftesbury on Wednesday, the second of the ides
[the 12th] of November ; but he was buried at Winchester in
the Old Slinster, with due honours. After his burial the
queen Elfgiva took up her abode there. Harold also said
that he was the son of king Canute and Elfgiva of North-
ampton, although that is far from certain ; for some say that
he was the son of ^ cobbler, and that Elfgiva had acted with

res'ard to him as she had done in the case of Swevn : for our

. *^ . 1

part, as there are doubts on the subject, we cannot settle with

any certainty the parentage of either. Harold, however,

assuming the royal dignity, sent his guards in the utmost

haste to Winchester, and tyrannically seized the largest and

best part of the treasure and wealth which king Canute had

bequeathed to queen Elfgiva, and having thus robbed her,

permitted her to continue her residence at Winchester. He

then, with the consent of many of the higher orders of

England, began to reign as though he was the lawful heir ;

but he had not the same power as Canute, because the arrival

of Hardicanute, tlie more rightful heir, was looked for. Hence,

shortly aftewards, the kingdom was divided by lot, Harokl

getting the northern, and Hardicanute the southern portion.

Robert, duke of Normandy, died, and was succeeded by
his son William the Bastard, then a minor.

[a.d. 1036.] The innocent ethelings Alfred and Edward,
sons of Ethelred, formerly king of England, sailed from
Normandy, where they had been for many years at the court
of their uncle Richard, and, attended by many Norman
knights, crossed over to England with a small fleet to confer
with their mother, who still abode at Winchester. Some of
the men in power were very indignant at this, being much
more devoted to Harold, however unjustly, than to the ethe-

A.D. 1037, 1038.] MURDER OF PRINCE ALFRED. 141

lings : esjDecially, it is said, earl Godwin. The earl, therefore,
arrested Alfred on his road to London to confer with king
Harold as he had commanded, and threw him into prison.
At the same time he dispersed some of his attendants, others
he put in fetters and afterwards deprived of their sight, some
lie scalped and tortured, amputated their hands and feet and
heavily mulcted : many he ordered to be sold, and put to
death six hundred of them at G uilford with various torments :
but we trust that the souls of those, who, guilty of no crime,
had their bodies so cruelly slaughtered in the fields, are now
rejoicing with the saints in paradise. On hearing of this,
queen Elgiva sent back her son Edward, who had remained
with her, in all haste to Normandy. Then, by order of
Godwin and others, Alfred was conducted, heavily chamed, to
the Isle of Ely ; but as soon as the ship touched the land, his
eyes w^ere most barbarously plucked out while he was on
board, and in this state he was taken to the monastery and
handed over to the custody of the monks. There he shortly
afterwards died, and his body was buried, with due honours,
in the south porch at the west end of the church ; but his
spirit is in the enjoyment of the delights of paradise.

[a.d. 1037.] Harold, king of Mercia and Northumbria,
was elected by the nobles, and the whole people, king of all
England; Hardicanute being entirely deposed, because he
wasted his time in Denmark, and deferred coming over, as he
was requested. His mother Elfgiva, formerly queen of England,
was banished from the kingdom, without mercy, at the begin-
ning of winter. As soon as a ship could be got ready she
sailed for Flanders, where she received an honourable welcome
from the noble count Baldwin, who, with a liberality becom-
ing his rank, took care that she should be freely supplied with
all things needful, as long as she required it. A little before
this, the same year, ^fic, dean of Evesham, a man of deep
piety, died.

[a.d. 1038.] Ethelnoth, archbishop of Canterbury, departed
this life on the fourth of the calends of November [29tli
September]. Seven days after, Ethelric, bishop of Sussex,
died ; for he had prayed to God that he might not long sur-
vive his beloved father Ethelnoth. Grimkytel succeeded him
in the bishopric, and Eadsige, one of the king's chaplains,
succeeded Ethelnoth in the archbishopric. In the same year

142 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1039, 1040.

died Mlfric, bishop of East-Anglia, and Brihteag, bishop of the
Hwiecas, ended his days on Wednesday the third of the
calends of January [20th December], whose see king Harold
gave to Living, bishop of Crediton. Stigand, the king's
chaplain, was appointed in -iElfric's place, but was afterwards
ejected, and Grimkytel chosen in his stead ; so that he held for
the time the two dioceses of Sussex and Essex ; but Stigand
was restored, and Grimkytel ejected, and Stigand kept the
bishopric of Sussex for himself, and procured that of East-
Anglia for his brother Ethelmar ; but not satisfied with this,
he was raised to the thrones of Winchester and Canterbury :
he also strove hard to hold with them the bishopric of
Sussex, and nearly carried his point. Ethelmar was succeeded
by -^rfast, bishop of Elmham, who, lest he should have
seemed to have done nothing — for the Normans are very
ambitious of future renown — transferred the see from Elmham
to Thetford.

[a.D. 1039.] Brihtmar, bishop of Litchfield, died, and was
succeeded by Wulfsy. The Welsh slew Edwin, earl Leofric's
brother, with TurkiU and JElfgeat, son of Eatsy, two noble
king's thanes, and many others at the same time. Hardicanute,
king of Denmark, sailed to Flanders, on a visit to his mother,
Elfgiva.

[a.D. 1040.] Harold, king of England, died at London,
and was buried at Westminster. After his funeral, the nobles
of almost the whole of England sent envoys to Hardicanute at
Bruges, where he was staying with his mother, and, thinking
it was for the best, invited him to come to England and ascend
the throne. Thereupon, he fitted out fifty ships, and em-
barking Danish troops, before midsummer sailed over to
England, where he was received with universal joy, and
shortly afterwards crowned ; but during his government he
did not)iing worthy his royal power. For as soon as he began
to reign, calling to mind the injuries which both he and his
mother had suffered at the hands of his predecessor, and
reputed brother, king Harold, he despatched to London, iElfric,
archbishop of York, and earl Godwin, with Stor, the master of
his household, Edric, his steward, Thrond, captain of his
guards, and other men of high rank, with or ders to dig up the
body of Harold and throw it into a sewer ; and when it was
thrown there, he caused it to be di-aggcd out and cast into

A.D. 1040, 1041.] HAROLD. nARDICANUTE. 143

the river Thames. Shortly afterwards, it was picked up by a
fi;iheriiian, and being immediately brought to the Danes, was
honourably buried by them in a cemetery they possessed at
London.^ After this, he ordered that eight marks should bo
paid to every rower in his fleet, and twelve to each steersman, to
be levied from the Avliole of England ; a tax so burthensome,
that scarcely any one would pay it, and he became thoroughly
detested by those who at first were most anxious for his
coming. Besides, he was greatly incensed against earl Godwin,
and Living, bishop of Worcester, for the death of his brother
Alfred, of which they were accused by .^Ifric, archbishop of
York, and some others. In consequence, he took the bishopric
of Worcester from Living and gave it to ^Ifrie ; but the
following year, he ejected -rElfric and graciously restored
Living, who had made his peace with him.

Godwin, to obtain the king's favour, presented him with a
gaUey of admirable workmanship, with a gilded figure-head,
rigged with the best materials, and manned with eighty chosen
soldiers s])lendidly armed. Every one of them had on each
aim a golden bracelet weighing six ounces, and wore a triple
coat of mail and a helmet partly gilt, and a sword with gilded
liilt girt to his side, and a Danish battle-axe inlaid with gold
and silver hanging from his left shoulder ; in his left hand he
bore a shield, the boss and studs of which were also gilt, and
in his right hand a lance, called in the English tongue
*' Atagar.''- Moreover, he made oath to the king, with ahuost
all the chief men and greater thanes in England, that it was
not by his counsel, or at his instance, that his brother's eyes
were put out, but that he had only obeyed the commands of
his lord, king Harold.

[a.d. 1041.] This year Hardicanute, king of England, sent
his huscarls^ through all the provinces of his kingdom to
collect the tribute which he hac^ imposed. Two of them,
Feader and Thurstan, were slain on the 4th of the ides [the
4th] of May, by the citizens of Worcester and the peo^ilo of

^ The cemetery of St. Clement-Danes, where the Northmen had a
settlement on the bank of the Thames, outside the walls of London.
The Saxon Chron. is silent as to Harohl's corpse beiuf? tlirown into
the Thames and fished up, but Henry of HunLiugdun gives the sam,e
account as our autlior.

- An^^'lo Saxon, (clfjar ; old Norsk, atytivr.

' Tlie Danish body-guards.

144 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1041, 1042.

that iieiglibourhood, in an upper chamber of the abbey-tower,
where they had concealed themselves during a tumult. This
so incensed the king, that to avenge their deaths he sent
Tliorold, earl of Middlesex, Leofric, earl of Mercia, Godwin,
earl of Wessex, Siward, earl of Northumbria, Roni, earl of
Hereford, and all the other English earls, with almost all his
huscarls, and a large body of troops, to Worcester, where
jElfric was still bishop, with orders to put to death all the
inhabitants they could find, to plunder and burn the city, and
lay waste the whole province. They arrived there on the second
of the ides [the 12th] of November, and beginning their work
of destruction through the city and province continued it for
four days ; but very few of the citizens or provincials were
taken or slain, because, having notice of their coming, the
people fled in all directions. A great number of the citizens
took refuge in a small island, called Beverege, situated in the
middle of the river Severn, and having fortified it, defended
themselves so stoutly against their enemies that they obtained
terms of peace, and were allowed free liberty to return home.
On the fifth day, the city having been burnt, every one
marched off loaded with plunder, and the king's wrath was
satisfied. Soon afterwards, Edward, son of Ethelred the late
king of England, came over from Normandy, where he had
been an exile many years, and being honourably received by
his brother, king Hardicanute, remained at his court.

[a.D. 1042.] Hardicanute, king of England, while he was
present at a joyous feast given at a place called Lambeth,
by Osgod Clapa, a man of great w^ealth, on occasion of his
giving the hand of his daughter Githa in marriage to Tovi,
surnamed Prudan, a noble and powerful Dane, — and carous-
ing, full of health and merriment, wdth the bride and some
others, fell down, by a sad mischance, while in the act of
drinkmg, and continued speechless until Tuesday the sixth of
the ides [the 8th] of June, when he expired. He was carried
to Winchester and buried near his father Canute. His
brother Edward was proclaimed king at London, chiefly by
the exertions of earl Godwin, and Living, bishop of Worcester.
Edward was the son of Ethelred, who was the son of Edgar,
who was the son of Edmund, who Avas the son of Edward
the Elder, who was the son of Alfred.

Abbot Elias, a Scot, died on the second of the ides [the

A.D. 1042, 1043.] EDWARD THE CONFESSOR. 145

12tli] of April. Being a prudent and religious man, lie was
intrusted with the government of the monastery of St. Pan-
taleon, as well as of his own abbey of St. Martin. He com-
mitted to the flames, in the monastery of St. Pantaleon, a
beautiful missal which a French monk had copied, without
leave, for the use of the community/ that no one in future
might dare to do it without permission. He was succeeded
by Maiolus the Scot, a holy man.

[a.d. 1043.] Edward was anointed king at Winchester
on the first day of Easter, being the third of the nones [the
3rd] of April, by Eadsige, archbishop of Canterbury, JElrie,
archbishop of York, and nearly all the bishops of England.
In the same year, fourteen days before the feast-day of St.
Andrew the apostle [IGth November], the king went suddenly
and unexpectedly from the city of Gloucester to Winchester,
accompanied by the earls Godwin, Leofric, and Si ward ; and
by their advice took from his mother all the gold, silver,
jewels, precious stones, and other valuables she possessed,
because she had been less liberal to him than he expected, and
had treated him harshly both before and after he was king.
Notwithstanding, he gave orders for her being supplied with
all necessaries, and ordered her to remain there quiet.

Animchadus, a Scottish monk, who led a life of seclusion
in the monastery at Fulda, died on the third of the calends of
February [30th January]. Over his tomb lights were seen,
and there was the voice of psalmody. Marianus, the author
of this chronicle, took up his station as a recluse for ten
years at his feet, and sang masses over his tomb. He has
related what follows respecting this Animchadus : " When I
was in Ireland," says Marianus, " in an island called Keltra,
he entertained, with the permission of his superior, named
Cortram, certain brethren who came there. Some of them
departed after their meal, but those who remained sat warm-
ing themselves at the fire, and asked him for something to
drink, and on his refusing to give it without leave, they urged
him to coinj)ly. At last he consented, but first sent some of
the beverage to his superior, as for his blessing. On the mor-

' In commune scriptum. This somewhat obscure phrase has been
elsewhere translated "in the vulvar tongue," — a turn which we
think it liardly admits, while we confess that we are not quite satisfied
with our own version.

146 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1043-5.

rosv, being asked for what reason he sent it, he related all
the circumstances. But his superior, for this slight fault,
immediately ordered him to quit Ireland, and he humbly
obeyed. He then came to Fulda, and lived a life of holy
seclusion, as I have already said, until his death.

" This was told us by the superior, Tigernah, on my com-
mitting some slight fault in his presence. Moreover, I my-
self heard, while I was in seclusion at Fulda, a very devout
monk of that monastery, whose name was William, implore
the aforesaid Animchadus, who was then in his tomb, to give
him his benediction ; and, as he afterwards told me, he saw
him' in a vision standing in his tomb, shining with great
brightness, and giving him his benediction with outstretched
arms ; and I too passed the whole of that night in the midst
of a mellifluous odour." These are the words of Marianus.

[a.D. 1044.] ^Ifward, bishop of London, who was abbot of
Evesham, both before and while he was bishop, being unable
to perform duly his episcopal functions, by reason of his
infirmities, wished to retire to [his abbey of] Evesham, but
the monks of that house would by no means consent.^
Wherefore he removed the greatest part of the books and
ornaments which he had collected in that place, and some, it
is said, which others had contributed^ and withdrawing to the
abbey of Eamsey, took up his abode there, and offered all he
had brought with him to St. Benedict. He died on Wednes-
day, the eighth of the calends o/ August (the 25th July), in
this same year, and is buried there.

At a general synod, held about that time in London, Wulf-
mar, a devout monk of Evesham, also called Manni, was
elected abbot of that monastery. The same year, the noble
lady, Gunhilda, daughter of king Wyrtgeorn, by king Canute's
sister, and successively the wife of earls Hakon and Harold,
was banished from England with her two sons. Hemming and
Thurkill. She went over to Flanders, and resided for some
time at a place called Bruges, and then went to Denmark.
Stigand, the king's chaplain, was appointed bishop of East-
Anglia.

[a.D. 1045.] Brihtwold, bishop of Wilton, died; and was suc-
ceeded by the king's chaplain, Heriman, a native of Lorraine.

^ Because he was afflicted with the leprosy. See Hist. Rames.,
c. civ.

A.D. 1046-8.J A FLEET COLLECTED. 147

Tlie same year, Edward, king of England, assembled a
very powerful fleet at the |)ort of Sandwich, to ojipose
Magnus, king of Norway, who threatened to invade England ;
hut the expedition was abandoned in consequence of Sweyn,
king of Denmark, having commenced hostilities against
liim.

[a.d. 1046.] Living, bishop of the Hwiccas,^ Devonshire, and
Cornwall, died on Sunday, the tenth of the calends of April
[the 2.3rd March]. Soon after his death, the bishoprics of
Crediton and Cornwall were given to Leofric the Briton,
who was the king's chancellor; and A hired, who had been a
monk of Wincliester and was then abbot of Tavistock, was
made bishop of the Hwiccas. Osgod Clapa was banished
from England. Magnus, king of Norway, son of St. Olaf
the king, defeated Sweyn, king of the Danes, and reduced
Denmark under his own dominion.

[a.d 1047.] So much snow fell in the West, that it crushed
the woods, and this year the winter was very severe. Grimky tel,
bishop of Sussex, died, and was succeeded by Heca, the king's
chaplain. ^Elfwine, bishop of Winchester, also died, and
Stigand, bishop of East-Anglia, was translated to his see.
Sweyn, king of Denmark, sent ambassadors to Edward, king
of England, requesting that he would send a fleet to join
liim against Magnus, king of Norway. Then earl Godwin
counselled the king to send at least fifty ships, full of soldiers;
but as the proposal was objected to by earl Leofric and all
the people, he declined to furnish any. After this Magnus,
king of Norway, having collected a numerous and powerful
fleet, fought a battle with Sweyn, in which a vast number of
troops were killed on both sides, and having driven him out
of Denmark, reigned there himself, and made the Danes pay
him a heavy tribute : shortly afterwards he died.

[a.d. 1048.] Swoyn recovered Deinnark, and Harold Har-
faager,'* son of Siward, king of Norway, and brother of St.
Olaf by the mother's side, and by the father's uncle to king
Magnus, returned to Norway, and shortly afterwards sent

' It will bo recolloctod that tho ancient t«Tritory of the ITwiccas
included and nearly corresponded with the diocese of Worcester.

^ It should he Harold Ilardrada, a common blunder of the Eniilish
chroniclers. King Harold Harfaaj^er reii^ned from about a.d. 8G1 to
about ySl.— See his Saga in Laing's Heiniskruigla, vol. i. p. 271.

L 2

148 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1048, 1049.

ambassadors to king Edward, making offers of peace and
amity, which were accepted.^

There was a great earthquake on Sunday the first of May,
at Worcester, Wick, Derby, and many other places. Many
districts of England were visited with a mortality among men
and cattle ; and a fire in the air, commonly called wild-fire,
burnt many vills and cornfields in Derbyshire and some other
districts. Edmund, bishop of Lindisfarne, died at Gloucester,
but was carried by his people to Durham, and buried there.
Edred succeeded him, but being struck by the divine ven-
geance, Ethelric, a monk of Peterborough, was appointed in
his stead.

[a.D. 1049.] The emperor Henry assembled a vast army
against Baldwin, count of Flanders, chiefly because he had
burno and ruined his stately palace at Nimeguen. In this
expedition were pope Leo, and many great and noble men
from various countries. Sweyn, king of Denmark, was also
there with his fleet at the emperor's command, and swore
fealty to the emperor for that occasion. He sent also to
Edward, king of England, and requested him not to let
Baldwin escape, if he should retreat to the sea. In conse-
quence, the king went with a large fleet to the port of
Sandwich, and remained there until the emperor had obtained
of Baldwin all he desired. Meanwhile, earl Sweyn, son of
earl Godwin and Githa, who had left England and gone to
Denmark, because he was not permitted to marry Edgiva,
abbess of the monastery of Leominster, whom he had de-
bauched, returned with eight ships, alleging falsely that he
would now remain loyally with the king. Earl Beorn, son of
his uncle Ulf, a Danish earl, who was son of Spracing, who
was son of Urso, and brother of Sweyn, king of Denmark,
promised him to obtain from the king the restoration of his
earldom. Earl Baldwin having made peace with the emperor,
the earls Godwin and Beorn, by the king's permission, came
to Pevensey with forty-two ships ; but he ordered the rest of
the fleet to return home, with the exception of a few ships
which he retained there. When, however, he was informed

^ The paragraph inserted in the Chronicle under the year 1047,
describing Sweyn's application for naval aid, and the refusal it met
with, is here repeated in the original text, apparently from inad-
vertence, in almost the same words.

A.D. 1049.] MURDER OF BEORN'. 140

tliat Osgod Clapa lay at Wulpe^ witli twenty-nine ships, he
i-ecalled as many as possible of the ships he had sent away.
But Osgod, taking with him his wife whom he had left for
safety at Bruges, returned to Denmark with six shi])s ; the
rest sailed over to Essex, and returned with no small ])lunder,
which they carried off from the neighbourhood of Eadulf's
Ness f however, a violent tempest overtook and sunk all except
two, which were captured at sea, and all on board perislied.

During these occurrences earl Sweyn went to Pevensey,
and perfidiously requested earl Beorn, his cousin, to go with
him to the port of Sandwich, and make his peace with the
king, according to promise. Beorn, relying on his relation-
ship, accompanied him with only three attendants ; but
Sweyn conducted him to Bosham, where his ships lay, and,
taking him on board one of them, ordered him to be bound
with thongs, and kept him on board until they reached the
mouth of the river Dart. There they slew him, and threw
him into a deep trench, and covered him with earth. They
then sent away six of the ships, two of which were soon after-
wards taken by the men of Hastings, who, having killed all
on board, carried them to Sandwich and presented them to
the king. Sweyn, however, escaped to Flanders with two
ships, and remained there until he was brought back by
Aldred, bishop of Worcester, who reconciled him with the king.

In the month of August of the same year, some Irish
j)irates, entering the moutii of the river Severn with thirty-
six ships, landed at a place called Wylesc-Eaxan, and, with
the aid of Griffyth, king of South-Wales, plundered in that
neighbourhood, and did considerable damage. Then, joining
their forces, the king and the pirates crossed the river Wye and
burnt Dymedham, massacring all they found there. Aldred,
))ishop of Worcester, with a few of the peoj)le of Gloucester-
shire and Herefordshire, flew to arms against them ; but the
Welshmen who were in their ranks, and had promised to be
faithful to them, sent a messenger privately to king Griftyth,
begging him to lose no time in attacking the English ; in
consequence of which he hastened to the spot with his own
followers and the Irish pirates, and falling on the Enghsh be-
fore day-break, slew many of them and put the rest to flight.

' A village on the coast of Flanders, N.W. of Sluys.
^ Neas, a promontory.

loO FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1050, lOol.

Eadnoth, bishop of Dorchester, died, and was succeeded by
Ulf, the king's chaplain, a native of Normandy. Oswy, abbot
of Thorney, and Wulfnoth, abbot of Westminster, died; also
Siward, coadjutor-bishop of Eadsige, archbishop of Canter-
bury, and he was buried at Abingdon. Moreover, in this
year pope St. Leo came to France, at the request of the most
excellent abbot Herimar, having in his company the .prefect
and some of the principal persons of Rome, and dedicated
with great ceremony the monastery of St. Remigius, the
apostle of the Franks, built at Rheims, in which city he
afterwards held a numerous synod of archbishops, bishops,
and abbots, which lasted six days. There were present at
this synod Alfwine, abbot of Ramsey, and the abbot of St.
Augustine's monastery [at Canterbury], who were sent there
by Edward, king of England.

[a.D. 1050.] Macbeth, king of Scotland, distributed freely
large sums of money at Rome. Eadsige, archbishop of Canter-
bury, died, and was succeeded by Robert, bishop of London,
a Norman by birth. Spearheafoe, abbot of Abingdon, was
elected bishop of London, but was ejected by king . Edward
before consecration. Heriman, bishop of Wilton, and Aldred,
bishop of Worcester, went to Rome.

[a.D. 1051.] OElfric, archbishop of York, died at South-
well, and was buried at Peterborough ; Kinsige, the king's
chaplain, succeeded him. King Edward released the English
from the heavy tax payable to the Danish troops, in the
thirty-eighth year after his father Ethelred had first imposed
it. After this, in the month of September, Eustace the elder,
count of Boulogne, who had married a sister of king Edward,
named Goda, sailed to Dover with a small fleet.^ His soldiers,
while they were bluntly and indiscreetly inquiring for lodg-
ings, killed one of the townsmen. A neighbour of his wit-
nessing this, slew one of the soldiers in revenge. At this the
count and his followers were much enraged, and put many
men and women to the sword, trampling their babes and
children under their horses' hoofs. But seeing the townsmen
flocking together to re^st them, they made their escape, Uke
cowards, with some difficulty, and leaving seven of their num-
ber slain, they fled to king Edward, who was then at Glou-
cester. Earl Godwin, being indignant that such things should

' Cf. Sax. Cliron. under the years 1048 and 1052.

i

A.D. 1051.] REVOLT OF GODYHN AND HIS SONS. 151

bo done within his jurisdiction, in grout wrath raised nn
inimonse army from the whole of his earldom, that is, from
Kent, Sussex, and Wessex ; his eldest son, Sweyn, also
a.ssemblod the men of his earldom, that is, of the counties of
Oxford, Gloucester, Hereford, Somerset, and Berks ; and his
other son, Harold, assembled the men of his earldom, namely,
Essex, East-Anglia, Huntingdon, and Cambridge. This did
not escape the notice of king Edward, and he therefore sent
messages to Leofric, earl of Mercia, and Siward, earl of
Northumbria, besririnG: them to hasten to him with all the
men they could muster, as he was in great peril. They came
at first with only a few followers ; but when they learnt the
real state of aftairs, they sent swift messengers throughout
their earldoms and gathered a large army. Likewise earl
Ralph, son of Goda, king Edward's sister, assembled as many
as he could from his county.

Meanwhile, Godwin and his sons, with their respective
armies, entered Gloucestershire after the feast of the nativity
of St. Mary [8th September], and encamping at a place called
Langtreo, sent envoys to the king at Gloucester, demanding
the surrender of count Eustace and his followers, as well as
of the Normans and men of Boulogne, who were in possession
of the castle on the cliff at Dover, on pain of hostilities. The
king, alarmed for a time at this message, was in great distress,
and in the utmost perplexity what to do. But when he found
that the troo])s of the earls Leofric, Siward, and Balph were
on their march, he replied with firnmess that he would by no
means consent to give up Eustace and the rest who were
demanded. On hearing this, the envovs returned from their
})ootless errand. As they Avere departing, the army entered
Gloucester, so exasperated, and unanimously ready to fight,
that, if the king had given permission, they would have in-
stantly engaged earl Godwin's army. But earl Leofric con-
sidering that all the men of greatest note in England were
assembled either on his side or the other, it ap])eared to him and
some others a great folly to figlit with their own countrymen,
and he proposed tiiat, hostages having been given by both
parties, the king and Godwin should meet at London on a day
appointed, and settle their controversy in a legal way. This
a<lvice being api)roved, and after the exchange of messages,
hostages having been given and received, the earl returned

152 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1051, 1052.

into Wessex ; and the king assembled a more powerful army
from the whole of Mercia and Northumbria, and led it to
London. Meanwhile, Godwin and his sons came to South-
wark with a vast multitude of the people of Wessex; but his
army gradually dwindling away and deserting him, he did
not venture to abide the judgment of the king's court, but
fled, under cover of night. When, therefore, the morning came,
the king, in his witan, with the unanimous consent of the
whole army, made a decree that Grodwin and his five sons
should be banished. Thereupon he and his wife Githa, and
Tosti and his wife Judith, the daughter of Baldwin, count of
Flanders, and two of his other sons, namely, Sweyn and
Gurth, went, without loss of time, to Thorney, where a ship
had been got ready for them. They quickly laded her with
as much gold, silver, and other valuable articles as she could
hold, and, embarking in great haste, directed her course
towards Flanders and Baldwin the count. His sons Harold
and Leofwine, making their way to Brycgstowe [Bristol],
went on board a ship which their brother Sweyn had pre-
pared for them, and crossed over to Ireland. The king repu-
diated the queen Edgitha, on account of his wrath against
her father Godwin, and sent her in disgrace, with only a
single handmaid, to Wherwell, where she was committed to
the custody of the abbess.^

After these occurrences, William, earl [duke] of Normandy,
came over to England with a vast retinue of Normans. King-
Edward honourably entertained him and his companions, and
on their return made them many valuable presents. The
same year, William, the king's chaplain, was appointed to the
bishopric of London, which was before given to Spearheafoc.

[a.D. 1052.] Marianus, the chronicler, departed this life.

Elfgiva Emma, wife of the kings Ethelred and Canute,
died at Winchester on the second of the nones [the 6thJ of
March, and was buried there. In the same year, Grifiyth,
king of Wales, ravaged a great part of Herefordshire : the
inhabitants of that province, with some Normans from a
castle, flew to arms and attacked him ; but, having slain
a great number of them, he obtained the victory and carried
off* much plunder. This battle was fought on the same day

* She was a sister of the king.

A.D. 1052.] Godwin's successes. 153

on which, fourteen years before, the Welsh slow Edwin, earl
Leofrie's brother, in an ambuscade. A short time afterwards,
earl Harold and his brother Leofwine, returning from Ireland,
and sailing into the mouth of the river Severn with a large
fleet, landed on the borders of Somersetshire and Dorsetshire,
and plundered many villages and farms in those ])arts. A great
number of the peoi)le of Devonshire and Somersetshire gathered
together in arms against them ; but Harold defeated them with
the loss of more than thirty noble thanes, and many others.
He then returned to his fleet with the booty, and sailed
round Penwithsteort.^ Thereupon, king Ed\vard quickly de-
spatched forty ships, well provisioned, and having on board
a chosen body of soldiers, to the port of Sandwich, with
orders to wait and look out for the arrival of earl Godwin.
IVotwithstanding this, he escaped observation, and, returning
with a few ships, landed in Kent ; and, by his secret emis-
saries, gained over to espouse his cause, first, the Kentishmen,
and then the people of Sussex, Essex, and Surrey, with all the
boatmen'^ of Hastings and other ]>laces on the sea-coast, be-
sides some others. All these, with one voice, declared that
they were ready to live or die with him.

As soon as his arrival was known in the king's fleet, which
lay at Sandwich, it went in chase of him ; but he escaped
and concealed himself wherever he could, and the fleet re-
turned to Sandwich, and thence sailed to London. On hear-
ing this, Godwin shaped his course again for the Isle of
Wight, and ke})t hovering about along the shore until his sons
Harold and Leofwine joined him with their fleet. After this
junction, they desisted from plundering and wasting the
country, taking only such provisions as necessity required
for the subsistence of their troops. Having increased their
force by enlisting as many men as they could on the sea-
coast and in other places, and by collecting all the mariners
they met with in every direction, they directed their course
towards the ])ort of Sandwich. Their arrival there was
notified to king Edward, who was then at London, and he
lost no. time sending messengers requiring all persons, who
had not revolted from him, to hasten to his succour ; but they

' Penv):th.Steort—tho Land's End.

^ linti^errirles — Boats-carlos. Our author uses the word again, a
few sentences later, in the general sense of mariners, seamen.

154: FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1052.

were too slow in tlieir movements, and did not arrive in time.
Meanwhile, earl Godwin, having sailed up the Thames against
the current, reached Southwark on the day of the Exaltation
of the Holy Cross [14th September], being Monday, and
waited there until the flood-tide came up. In the interval, he
so dealt with the citizens of London, some in person, others
through his emissaries, having before seduced them by a
variety of promises, that he persuaded nearly all of them to
enter heartily into his designs. At last, everything being
duly planned and set in order, on the tide's flowing up they
quickly weighed anchor, and, no one offering them any resist-
ance at the bridge, sailed upwards along the south bank of
the river. The land army also arrived, and, being drawn up
on the river-bank, formed a close and formidable column.
Then the fleet drew towards the northern bank, with the
intention, apparently, of enclosing the king's fleet, for the
king had also a fleet, as well as a numerous land army. But
as there were very few men of any courage, either on the
king's or Godwin's side, who were not Englishmen, nearly all
shrunk from fighting against their kinsfolk and countrymen ;
so that the wiser sort on both sides interfered to restore
peace between the king and the earl, and both armies re-
ceived orders to lay down their arms. 1 he next morning
the king held a council, and fully restored to their former
honours Godwin, and his wife, and all his sons, except Sweyn,
who, touched with repentance for the murder of his cousin
Beorn, mentioned before, had undertaken a journey barefoot
from Flanders to Jerusalem, and who, on his return, died in
Lycia^ from illness brought on by the severity of the cold.
The king, also, took back with due honour queen Edgitha,
the earl's daughter, and restored her to her former dignity.

The alliance being renewed, and peace established, they
promised right law to all the people, and banished all the
Normans, who had introduced unjust laws and given un-
righteous judgments, and in many things had influenced the
king to the disadvantage of his English subjects. A few
of them only were allowed to stay in England, namely,
Robert the deacon, and his son-in-law Richard Eitz-Scrope,

' According to the Saxon Chronicle, Sweyn died at Constantinople
on his journey home. Malmesbur}' relates that he was slain by the
Saracens.

A.D. 1052, 1053.] THE NORMANS BANISHED. loO

Alfred, tlie king's horse-thane, Anfrid, surnamed Coek's-foot,
with some others who had been the king's greatest favourites,
and had remained faitliful to him and tlie commonwealth. But
Robert, archbishop of Canterbury, William, bishop of London,
and Ulf, bishop of Lincoln, with their Normans, had some
difficulty in making their escape and getting beyond sea.
William, however, was, for his worth, soon afterwards re-
called and reinstated in his bishopric. Osbern, surnamed
Pentecost, and his companion Hugh, surrendered their castles ;
and, being allowed by earl Leofric to pass through his terri-
tories in their way to Scotland, received a welcome from
Macbeth, king of the Scots. The same year there was such
a violent wind in the night of the feast of St. Thomas the
apostle [the l?lst December], that it threw down many
churches and houses, and shattered or tore up by the roots
trees without number.

[a.d. 1053.] Rhys, the brother of GrifFyth, king of South
Wales, was put to death by order of king Edward at a place
called Bullington, on account of the plundering inroads he
had frequently made, and his head was brought to the king at
Gloucester on the eve of our Lord's Epiphany [5th January],
In the same year, on the second day of tlie festival of Easter
[12th April], which was celebrated at Winchester, earl God-
win came to his end while he was sitting at table with the
king, according to his usual custom ; for, being suddenly
seized with a violent illness, he fell speechless from his seat.
His sons, earl Harold, Tosti, and Gurth, perceiving it, carried
him into the king's chamber, hoping tliat he would presently
recover ; but his strength failing, he died in great suffering
on the fifth day afterwards [15th April], and was buried in
tl)c Old Minster. His son Harold succeeded to his earldom,
and Harold's earldom was given to Algar, son of earl
Leofric.

In the month of October died Wulfsige, bishop of Litch-
field, Godwin, abbot of Winchcombe, and Ethelward, abbot
of Cilastonbury. Leofwine, abbot of Coventry, succeeded
Wulfsige ; and Ethelnoth, a monk of the same monastery,
succeeded Ethelward. Rut A hired, bishop of Worcester, kept
tlie abbey of Winchcombe in his own hands until such time as
he appointed Godric, the son of Goodman, the king's chaplain,
to be abbot. Jilfric, brother of earl Odda, died at Deerhurst

156 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1054, 1055.

on the eleventh of the calends of January [22nd December],
but he was buried in the monastery at Pershore.

Aed, a-long-bearded clerk in Ireland, a man of great emi-
nence and earnest piety, had a large school of clerks, maidens,
and laymen ; but he subjected the maidens to the tonsure in
the same manner as clerks, on which account he was compelled
to leave Ireland.

[a.D. 1054.] Siward, the stout earl of Northumbria,^ by
order of the king entered Scotland, with a large body of
cavalry and a ])owerful fleet, and fought a battle with
Macbeth, king of the Scots, in which the king was defeated
with the loss of many thousands both of the Scots and of the
Normans before mentioned ; he then, as the king had com-
manded, raised to the throne Malcolm, son of the king of the
Cumbrians. However, his own son and many English and
Danes fell in that battle.

The same year, on the feast of St. Kenelm, the martyr,
[17th July], Aldred, bishop of Worcester, instituted Godric
as abbot of Winchcombe. The bishop was then sent by the
king as ambassador to the emperor, witli rich presents ; and
being received with great honour by him, and also by Heri-
man, archbishop of Cologne, he remained at his court for a
whole year, and in the king's name proposed to the emperor
to send envoys to Hungary to bring back Edward, the king's
cousin, son of king Edmund Ironside, and have him con-
ducted to England.

[a.D. 1055.] Siward, earl of Northumberland, died at
York, and was buried in the monastery at Galmanho,^ which
he had himself founded : his earldom was given to Tosti, earl
Harold's brother. Shortly afterwards, king Edward, in a
council held at London, banished earl Algar, earl Leofric's
son, without any just cause of offence. Algar presently went
to Ireland, and having collected eighteen pirate ships, returned
with them to Wales, where he implored Griffyth the king to
lend him his aid against king Edward. Griffyth immediately
assembled a numerous army from all parts of his dominions^

* Henry of Huntingdon tells us that Siward employed his son in
this expedition, in which he fell. See that historian's account of the
manner in which Siward received the intelligence, and of the circum-
stance attending his own death, pp. 204, 205, Ant^q. Lib.

^ An abbey at York, afterwards restored, and called St. Mary's.

A.D. 1055.] HEREFORD STORMED. 157

and directed Algar to join him and his army at a place ap-
j)ointed with liis own troops ; and having united their forces
they entered Herefordshire, intending to hiy waste the English
marshes.

Earl Ral[)h, the cowardly son of king Edward's sister,
having assembled an army, fell in with the enemy two miles
from the city of Hereford, on the ninth of the calends of
November [24th October]. He ordered the English, con-
trary to their custom, to fight on horseback ; but just as the
engagement was about to commence, the earl, with his French
and Normans, were the first to flee. The English seeing
this, followed their leader's example, and nearly tlie whole of
the enemy's army going in pursuit, four or five hundred of the
fugitives were killed, and many were wounded. Having
gained the victory, king Griftyth and earl Algar entered
Hereford, and having slain seven of the canons who defended
the doors of the principal church, and burnt the monastery
built by bishop Athelstan, that true servant of Christ, with
all its ornaments, and the relics of St. Ethelbert, king and
martyr, and other saints, and having slain some of the citizens,
and made many other captives, they returned laden with
spoil.

On receiving intelligence of this calamity, the king imme-
diately commanded an army to be levied from every part of
England, and on its being assembled at Gloucester, gave the
command of it to the brave earl Harold, who, zealously
obeying the king's orders, was unwearied in his pursuit of
GrifTyth and Algar, and boldly crossing the Welsh border,
encamped beyond Straddell [Snowdon] ; but they knowing
him to be an intrepid and daring warrior, did not venture to
wait his attack, but retreated into South Wales. On learning
this, he left there the greatest part of his army, with orders to
make a stout resistance to the enemy if circumstances should
require it ; and returning with the remainder of his host to
Hereford, he surrounded it with a wide and deep trench, and
fortified it with gates and bars. Meanwhile, after an inter-
cliange of messages, Grifiyth, Algar, and Harold, with their
attendants, met at a place called Biligesteagea, and peace being
proposed and accepted, they contracted a firm alliance with
each other. After these events, earl Algar's fleet [of pirates]
sailed to Chester, and waited there for the hire he had en-

158 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1055, 1056.

gaged to pay them ; but he himself went to court and M'^as
restored by the king to his earldom. At that time died
Tremerin, a Welsh bishop/ who had been a monk. He was,
for a long time, coadjutor to Athelstan, bishop of Hereford,
after Athelstan became incapable of performing his episcopal
functions, having been blind for thirteen years. Heriman,
bishop of Wiltshire, being offended at the king's refusing to
allow him to remove the seat of his bishopric from the vill
called Ramsbury to the abbey of Malmesbury, resigned his
bishopric and, going beyond sea, took the monastic habit
at St. Bertin,^ in which monastery he abode for three years.

[a.D. 1056.] Athelstan, bishop of Hereford, a man of great
sanctity, died on the fourth of the ides [the 10th] of February,
at the episcopal vill called Bosbury ; his body was carried
to Hereford, and buried in the church which he himself had
built from the foundations. He was succeeded by Leovegar,
earl Harold's chaplain, who, on the sixteenth of the calends
[the 16th] of June in the same year, together with his clerks
and Ethelnoth the vice-reeve and many others, was massacred
by Grriffyth, king of Wales, at a place called Claftbyrig
[Cleobury?]. He held the see only eleven weeks and four
days. On his being thus cut off, the bishopric of Hereford
was administered by Aldred, bishop of Worcester, until a
successor could be appointed. This same bisliop Aldred and
the earls Leofric and Harold afterwards reconciled Griflyth,
king of Wales, with king Edward.

Marianus, becoming a pilgrim for the sake of his heavenly
country, went to Cologne and took the habit of a monk in
the monastery of St. Martin, belonging to the Scots, on
Thursday, which was the calends [the 1st] of August.

Earl Ethelwin, that is Odda,^ the friend of the churches,
the solace of the poor, the protector of widows and orphans,
the enemy of oppression, the shield of virginity, died at
Deerhurst on the second of the calends of September
[•31st August], having been made a monk by Aldred,
bishop of Worcester, before his death; but he lies in the
abbey of Pershore, where he was buried with great pomp,
^thelric, bishop of Durham, voluntarily resigned his see and

' Bishop of St. David's.

^ The abbey of St. Bertin, at St. Omer.

^ Odda, earl of Devon.

A. D. 1056,1057.] EDWARD ETHELING RETCRXS. 159

retired to his monastery of Peterborough, wliere he had been
brought up and made a monk ; and there he lived twelve
years, having been succeeded in his bishopric by liis brother,
jEifelwin, a monk of the same abbey.

[a.d. 1057.] Edward the etheHng, son of king Edmund
Ironside, accepting the invitation of his uncle, king Edward,
returned to England from Hungary, where he had been
exiled many years before. . For the king had determined to
appoint him his successor and heir to the crown ;^ but he died
at London soon after his arrival. Tiie renowned Leofrio, son
of the ealdorman Leofwine, of blessed memory, died in a good
old age, at his own vill of Bromley, on the second of the
calends of September [31st August], and was buried with
great pomp ut Coventry; which monastery, among the other
good deeds of his life, he and his wife, the noble countess
Godiva, a worshipper of God, and devoted friend of St. Mary,
Ever-a- Virgin, liad founded, and amply endowing it with lands
on their own patrimony, had so enriched with all kinds of orna-
ment, that no monastery could be found in England possessed
of such abundance of gold, silver, jewels, and precious stones
as it contained at that time. They also enriched, with
valuable ornaments, the monasteries of Leominster and
Wenlock, and tliose at Chester dedicated to St. John the
Baptist and St. Werburgh, the virgin, and the church which
Eadnoth, bishop of Lincoln, had built on a remarkable spot,
called in English St. Mary's Stow,^ which means in Latin St.
Mary's place. They also gave lands to the monastery at
Worcester, and added to the buildings, ornaments, and endow-
ments of Evesham abbey. During his whole life, this earl's
sagacity was of the utmost advantage to the kings and the
wliole commonwealth of England. His son Algar was
a])pointed to his earldom. Hakon, bishop of Essex, died, and
^Ethelric, a monk of Christ-church at Canterbuiy, was ap-
pointed in his stead. The afore-mentioned earl lialph died

' Sco a brief notice of the conflicting accounts of the chroniclers on
this controverted question in Ordericus Vitalis, vol. i., page 450,
Buhiis Atififj. Lib.

* Henry of Huntingdon describes it as "under the hill at Lin-
coln ;" but Hishop Farmer says that "Stowe was in the bishop's manor
by Trent side." The prior} of Stowe, or Mary-Stowe, was annexed
to Eynshain abbey, in Oxfordshire.

160 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER. [a.D. 1058, 1059, |

on the twelfth of the calends of January [21st December],
and was buried in the abbey of Peterborough.

[a.D. 1058.] Six days before Palm-Sunday [10th April],
the city of Paderborn, and two monasteries, that of the
cathedral and that of the monks, w^ere destroyed by fire.
In the monks' monastery there was a Scottish monk named
Paternus, who had been in the cloister for a great number of
years, and had foretold this fire ; yet such was his desire of
martyrdom that nothing could induce him to leave the place,
and he was burnt to death in his cell, passing through the
flames to the cool refreshment of paradise. Some blessed
things are related concerning his tomb. " Within a few days
after this occurrence, on the Tuesday after the octave of Easter
[26th of April], as I was departing from Cologne on the road
to Fulda in company with the abbot of Fulda, for the sake of
seclusion, prayed on the very mat on which he was burnt."
Thus saith Marianus, the Scottish recluse.

Algar, earl of Mercia, was outlawed by king Edward for
the second time, but, supported by GrifFyth, king of Wales,
and aided by a Norwegian fleet, which unexpectedly came to
his relief, he speedily recovered his earldom by force of arms.
Pope Stephen died on the third of the calends of April
[30th March]. He was succeeded by Benedict, who sent the
palUum to Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury, ^thelric was
ordained bishop of Sussex; and abbot Siward was consecrated
bishop of Rochester. Aldred, bishop of Worcester, dedicated
with great ceremony to Peter, prince of the apostles, tlie
church which he had built from the foundations in the city of
Worcester, and afterwards, with the king's license, appointed
Wulfstan, a monk of Worcester, ordained by him, abbot of
the new foundation. Then, having resigned the bishopric of
Wilton, which he held in commendam, and restored it to
Heriman, before mentioned, he crossed the sea, and went
through Hungary to Jerusalem ; a pilgrimage which no
English archbishop or bishop is known to have performed
before.

[a.D. 1059.] Nicholas, bishop of Florence, was elected
pope, and Benedict was deposed. Marianus having shut
himself up in the cloister Avith Sigefrid, abbot of Fulda, was
ordained priest at the tomb of St. Kilian, at Wurtzburg, on
Saturday in Mid-Lent, the third of the ides [the 13th] of

A.D. lOGO-2.] LIFE OF ST. WULFSTAX. 161

March, and on Friday after Our Lord's Ascension, being the
day before the ides [the 14th] of May, lie entered on his ten
years' inclosure in the abbey of Fulda.

[a.d. lOGO.] Henry, king of the Franks, died, and was
succeeded by his eldest son Philip. Duduc, bishop of Wells,
died, and Avas succeeded by Giso, the king's chaplain ; they
were both natives of Lorraine. Kinsi, archbishop of York,
died at York on the eleventh of the calends of January [22nd
December]. His body was carried to the abbey of Peter-
borough, and buned there with great pomp. Aldred,
bishop of Worcester, was elected his successor as archbishop
of York at Christmas ; and the see of Hereford, which had
been intrusted to his administration on account of his great
diligence, was given to Waiter, a Lorrainer, and chaplain to
queen Edgitha.

[a.d. 1061.] Aldred, archbishop of York, went to Ptome
in company with earl Tosti, and received the pallium from
pope Nicholas. There, also, Giso of Wells, and Walter of
Hereford, were consecrated bishops by the same pope. Until
John, the successor of Giso, all the bishops of Wells had their
episcopal see at Wells, in the church of St. Andrew the
A])ostle. Maiolus, abbot of the Scots, died at Cologne;
Foilan succeeded him.

[ad. 10G2.] Wulfstan,^ a venerable man, was made; bishop
of Worcester. This prelate, beloved of God, was born in
Warwickshire, in the province of Mercia, of pious parents;
his fiither's name being Ealstan, and his mother's Wulfgeova,
but he was well instructed in letters and ecclesiastical func-
tions at the monastery of Peterborough. Both his parents
were so devoted to a religious life, that long before their end,
they took the vows of chastity, and separated from each
other, delighting to spend the rest of their days in habits of
lioly devotion. Inspired by such examples, and chiefly in-
duced by his mother's persuasions, he quitted the world
while he was yet in his youth, and took the monastic habit
and i)rofession in the same monastery at Worcester where

' Our author, who has alrf.-ady, on several occasions, given fuller
particulars than other chroniclers of events connected with the
counties of Worcester and Hereford, here furnishes us very naturally
witli an account of the life and character of Wulfstan, the celebrated
bishop of Worcester, afterwards archbishop of York.

M

162 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1062.

his father had before devoted himself to the service of Grod,
being admitted by the venerable Brihteag, bishop of the same
church, who also conferred upon him the orders both of
deacon and priest. Entering at once on a strict and deeply
religious course of life, he quickly became remarkable for
his vigils, his fastings, his prayers, and all kinds of virtues.
In consequence of this regular discipline, he was appointed,
first, for some time, master and tutor of the novices, and
afterwards, from his intimate acquaintance with the eccle-
siastical services, his superiors nominated him precentor and
treasurer of the church.

Being now intrusted with the custody of the church, he
embraced the opportunities afforded him of serving God with
greater freedom ; and, devoting himself wholly to a life of
contemplation, he resorted to it by day and night, either for
prayer or holy reading, and assiduously mortified his body by
fasting for two or three days together. He was so addicted
to devout vigils, that he not only spent the nights sleepless,
but often the day and night together, and sometimes went for
four days and nights without sleep, — a thing we could hardly
have believed, if we had not heard it from his ow^n mouth, —
so that he ran great risk from his brains being parched, unless
he hastened to satisfy the demands of nature by the refresh-
ment of sleep. Even, at last, when the urgent claims of
nature compelled him to yield to sleep, he did not indulge
himself by stretching his limbs to rest on a bed or couch, but
would lie down for awhile on one of the benches in the
church, resting his head on the book which he had used for
praying or reading. After some time, on the death of JEthel-
wine, prior of the monastery, bishop Aldred appointed this
reverend man to be prior and father of the convent, an office
which he worthily filled ; by no means abating the strictness
of his previous habits, but rather increasing it in many
respects, in order to afford a good example to the rest.

After the lapse of some years, on the elevation of Aldred,
bishop of Worcester, to the archbishopric of York, there was
unanimous consent both of the clergy and the whole body
of the laity [of Worcester] in the election of Wulfstan as
their bishop; the king having granted them permission tc
choose whom they pleased. It so chanced that the legates
from the apostolical see were present at the election, namely,

A.D. 1062.] WULFSTAN MADE BISHOP. 1G3

Ernicnfrcd, bishop of Sion,^ and another, who wore sent by
our lord the pope Alexander to king Edward on some eccle-
siastical questions, and by the king's orders spent nearly the
whole of Lent at Worcester, waiting for the reply to their
mission at the king's court in the ensuing Easter. The
legates, during their stay, observing Wulfstan*s worthy con-
versation, not only concurred in his election, but used their
especial influence with both the clergy and people to advance
it, and confirmed it by their own authority. But he most
obstinately declined the oflHce, exclaiming that he was un-
worthy of it, and even declaring with an oath that he would
rather submit to lose his head than be advanced to so high a
dignity. When he could by no means be persuaded to consent
by the arguments frequently addressed to him by many pious
and venerable men, at last being sharply reproved for his
obstinate wilfulness by Wulfsi the liermit, a man of God,
who was known to have lived a life of solitude for more
than forty years, and being also awed by a divine revelation,
he was compelled, with the greatest reluctance, to give his
consent ; and his election having been canonieally confirmed
on the feast of the Decollation of St. Jolin the Baptist [29th
August], and having accepted the oflfice of bishop, he was
consecrated on the day on which St. Mary's Nativity is cele-
brated })y the church, which happened on a Sunday, and
shone forth in the splendour of his life and virtues as bishop
of Worcester. The consecration was performed by the
venerable Aldred, archbishop of York, Stigand, archbishop of
Canterbury, being then interdicted by the pope from perform-
ing his episcopal functions, because he had presumed to take
the archi)ishoi)ric while Robert, the archbishop, was still
living ; but Wulfstan made his canonical profession to Sti-
gand, the af<jresaid archl)ishop of Canterbury, and not to
Aldred, who ordained him. Moreover, Stigand having made
a protest against its being a i)rccedent in future, the arch-
bishop of York, who ordained Wulfstan, was ordered to declare
before the king and the great men of the realm, that he
would not thereafter claim any submission, either in ecclesi-
astical or temporal affairs, in right of his having consecrated
him, or of his having been his monk before he was conse-

' Sedunensem — Of Sedunum, now Sion, the capital of the Valais.

M 2

164 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1062, 1063.

crated. Wulfstan's ordination took place when he was more
than fifty years old, in the twentieth year of the reign of
king Edward, and in the fifteenth indiction.

[a.D. 1063.] When Christmas was over, Harold, the
brave earl of Wessex, by king Edward's order, put himself
at the head of a small troop of horse, and proceeded by rapid
marches from Gloucester, where the king then was, to Rhud-
dlan,^ with the determination to punish Griffyth, king ol
Wales, for his continual ravages on the English marshes, anc
his many insults to his lord, king Edward, by taking his life
But GrifFyth, being forewarned of the earl's approach, flee
with his attendants, and escaped by getting aboard a ship
but not without extreme difficulty. Harold, finding he wa;
gone, ordered his palace to be burnt, and setting fire to hi^
ships and all their rigging, began his march homeward th(
same day. But about liogation days [20 May] he sailed fron
Bristol with a naval force, and circumnavigated a great par;
of Wales. His brother met him, by the king's command, witl
a body of cavalry, and uniting their forces, they began to la;*
waste that part of the country. In consequence, the Welsl
were reduced to submission, and, giving hostages, engaged U
pay him tribute, and they deposed and banished their kino-
Griffyth.

[a.D. 1064.] The great paschal cycle now begins, in th
second indiction. A multitude of people, both rich and pooi
to the number of seven thousand, accompanied the archbisho]
of- Mentz, and the bishops of Utrecht, Bamberg, and Ratit
bon, in a pilgrimage to Jerusalem,^ after the feast of Sr
Martin [11th November]. Wherever the bishops made any stiv,
they wore their palls on their shoulders, and their meat an;
drink was served in gold and silver vessels. The Arabitt
[Arabs ?], allured by the fame of their wealth, slew many c
them on Good-Friday [9th April]. Those who were able t
escape took refuge in a deserted castle called Caruasalim,^ an

^ A strong castle in Flintshire. See the note to Ordericus Vitali
vol. ii., pp. 444, 445, ArUiq. Lib.

^ The account here extracted from Marianus of a pilgrimage t
Jerusalem, just before the Crusades, is so curious, that althouj;h it
omitted in the English Historical Society's edition of " Florence
Worcester," we have thought it right to insert it in our text.

^ This word sounds very like Jerusalem, near which the legend <
palmer's tale, which evidently furnished this entry in the Chronic!
supposes the pilgrims to have arrived.

A.D. 10G3.] LEGEND OF A PILGRIMAGE. IG")

barricadoing it, defended themselves witli stones and staves
against the darts of the Arabites, who sought tlieir money, or
tlieir lives and tlieir money. Then one very brave soldier,
who was resolved that no peril should withhold liim from see-
ing tlie tomb of our Lord, went forth ; but the Arabs imme-
diately laid hold of him, and stretching him flat on the ground,
in tlie form of a cross, nailed his liands and feet to the earth,
and cutting him open from the bottom of his belly to his
throat, examined his entrails.^ At last, having torn him lim.b
from limb, their chief first threw a stone upon him, and after-
wards all the rest did the like. Then they called to his
comrades, who beheld all this from the castle : — " Your fate
shall be the same, unless you deliver to us all your wealth."
The Christians promising to comply, the chief of the Arabites
came into the castle to them, with sixteen others armed with
swords. The chief found the bishops still seated in great
state, and observing that the bishop of Bamberg, whose name
was Gunther, excelled the rest in stature and shape, con-
cluded that he was the lord of the Christians. Putting a
thong round the bishop's neck, in the way the Gentiles contine
their criminals, he said, " You and all yours shall be mine."
The bishop rei)lied, through an interpreter, " What will you
do to me ?" He answered, " I will suck that bright blood
from your throat, and I will hang you up like a dog before
the castle." Then the bishop, seizing the chief by the head,
felled him to the ground with one blow of his fist, and all the
others were ])Ound. Those who remained without beins: in-
formed of this assaulted the castle ; but the prisoners were
suspended from the walls in front of the assailants, and
to save them, the attack was given up. Then the thieves
began to quarrel concerning the money which they had already
taken from the Christians, and most of them fell by each
others' hands. Meanwhile, the jirince of Ramula, at the
entreaty of those of the Christians who had contrived to escape,

' In soarch of money? A cotemporary writer says, "The cruelty
of the infidels was carried to sueh a pitch, that, thinkinp: the wretciies
[Cxhristians] had swallowed J^old or silver, they made tliem drink
nraui^hts of scamony till they vomited, or even threw up their
vitals. Not only so, but, shockin;^ to say, they cut open their bellies,
and tearing; out their entrails, laid bare; all the parts which nature
holds private." — Abbot GaiberCs Gcsta, Dei per Francos, p. 379.

166 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1064, 1065.

came with a strong band, on the second day of Easter [12th
April], and drove away the Arabites. Then, after accepting
fifty gold pieces from the Christians, he and an Arabite chief
who was at variance with his lord, the king of the Saracens,
conducted the pilgrims to Jerusalem, and thence to their ships.
The vast multitude of Christians so wasted away, that out of
seven thousand or more, barely two thousand returned.

[a.D. 1061 ] GrifFyth, king of Wales, was slain by his
own people, on the nones [the 5th] of August, and his head
and the beak of his ship, with its ornaments, were sent to
earl Harold, who, shortly afterwards, presented them to king
Edward. The king then gave the territories of the Welsh
king to his brothers Blethgent and Kithwalon,^ and they
swore to be faithful to him and Harold, and promised to be
ready to obey their orders by sea and land, and that they
would faithfully pay whatever was paid before from that
country to former kings.

[a.D. 1065.] JEthelwin, the reverend bishop of Durham,
raised the bones of St. Oswin, formerly king of Bernicia, from
the tomb in which they had lain for four hundred and fifteen
years, in the monastery which stands at the mouth of the river
Tyne, and placed them in a shrine with great ceremony. In
the month of August, Harold, the brave earl of Wessex,
ordered a large mansion to be built at a place called Portascith,^
on the territory of the Welsh, and gave directions that it
should be well stored with meat and drink, that his lord, king
Edward, might sometimes reside there for the sake of hunt-
ing. But Caradoc, son of GrifFyth, king of South Wales, who
a few years before had slain GrrifFyth, king of North Wales,
and usurped his kingdom, came there with the whole force he
could gather, on the feast-day of St. Bartholomew, the apostle
[24th August], and slew all the workmen and their overseers,
and carried off all the materials which had been collected there.

Soon after the feast of St. Michael, the archangel, on
Monday, the fifth of the nones [the 3rd] of October, the
Northumbrian thanes, Gamelbearn, Dunstan, son of Athel-
neth, and Glonicorn, son of Heardulf, entered York with

' Blethyn and Rhywallou, princes of North Wales and Powis,
1060—1066.

•^ Portskewet, on the coast of Monmouthshire, where there are some
relics of a church supposed to have been built by Harold.

A.D. 10G5, 106G.] DEATH OF EDWARD THE CONFESSOR. 1C7

two hundred soldiers, to revenge tae execrable murder of the
noble Northumbrian thane, Cospatric, who was treacherously
killed by order of queen Edgitha at the king's court on the
fourth night of Christmas, for tlie sake of her brother Tosti ;
as also tlie murder of the thanes Game), the son of Orm, and
Ulf, the son of Dolfin, whom earl Tosti had perfidiously caused,
to be assassinated in his own chamber at York, the year be-
fore, although there was peace between them. The insurgent
thanes were also aggrieved by the enormous taxes which Tosti
unjustly levied through the whole of Northumbria. They
therefore, on the day of their arrival, first seized his Danish
hus-carles, Amund and Ravenswart, as they were making their
escape, and put them to death outside the walls, and the next
day slew more than two hundred of his liege-men, on the
north side of the river Humber. 'I hey also broke open his
treasurv, and retired carrvino: off all that belonsred to him.
After that, nearly all the men of his earldom assembled in a
body, and met, at Northampton, Harold, earl of Wessex, and
others whom the king, at Tosti's request, had sent to restore
peace between them. There first, and afterwards at Oxford,
on the feast of the apostles St. Simon and St. Jude [28th
October], when earl Harold and the rest endeavoured to re-
store peace between them and earl Tosti, they all unanimously
rejected tlie proposal, and outlawed him and all who had
prompted him to enact the oppressive law ; and after the feast
of All-Saints [1st November], with the assistance of earl
Edwin, they banished Tosti from England. Thereupon he went,
accompatned by his wife, to Baldwin, earl of Flanders, and
passed the winter at St. Omer. After this, king Edward fell
into a lingering sickness, but he held his court at London
during Christmas as well as he was able, and on Holy Inno-
cents' day caused the church, which he had built from the
foundations [at Westminster], to be dedicated with great
splendour to St. Peter, the prince of the apostles.

[a.d. lOGG.] King Edward the Pacific, the pride of the
English, son of king Ethclred, died at London on Thursday,
the eve of the Epipliany, in the fourth indiction ; after having
filled the royal throne of the Anglo-Saxons twenty-three
years, six months, and twenty-seven days. He was buried
the next day with royal pomp, amidst tlie tears and lamen-
tations of the crowds who flocked to his funeral. After his

1G8 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1066.

interment, H&rold, tlie vice-king, son of earl Godwin,
whom the king before his death had chosen for his successor,^
was elected king by the leading men of all England ; and, the
same day, was crowned with great ceremony by Aldred,
archbishop of York, As soon as he had taken the reins of
government, he made it his business to revoke unjust laws,
and establish good ones ; to become the protector of the
churches and monasteries ; to cherish and reverence the
bishops, abbots, monks, and clerks ; and to show himself kind,
humble, and courteous to all good men, while to malefactors^
he used the utmost rigour. For he gave orders to his earls,
ealdormen, vice-reeves, and all his officers, to arrest all
thieves, robbers, and disturbers of the peace ; and he
laboured himself for the defence of the country by land and
by sea.

The same year a comet was seen on the eighth of the
calends of May [24th April], not only in England, but, as it
is reported, ail over the world : it shone with excessive
brilliance for seven days. Soon afterwards earl Tosti re-
turned from Flanders, and landed in the Isle of Wight ; andj
having compelled the islanders to give him pay and tribute,
he departed, and plundered along the sea-coast, until he
arrived at Sandwich. King Harold, who was then at
London, having been informed of this, ordered a con-
siderable fleet and a body of horse to be got ready, and pre-
pared to go in person to the port of Sandwich. On receiving
this intelligence, Tosti took some of the boatmen of the place,
Avilling or unwilling, into his service, and, departing thence,
shaped his course for Lindsey, where he burnt several vills
and slew a number of men. Thereupon Edwin, earl of
Mercia, and Morcar, earl of Northumbria, flew to the spot
with some troops, and drove him out of that neighbourhood ;
and, on his departure, he repaired to Malcolm, king of the
Scots, and remained with him during the whole summer.
MeanAvhile king Harold arrived at the port of Sandwich, and
waited there for his fleet. When it was assembled, he sailed
to the Isle of Wight ; and as William, earl of N"ormandy,
king Edward's cousin, was preparing an army for the invasion
of England, he kept watch all the summer and autumn, to

^ See note before, p. 159.

A.D. 1066.] KING HAROLD. 169

prevent his landing ; besides which, he stationed a land army
at suitable points along the sea-coast ; but provisions failing
towards the time of the feast of the Nati^dty of St. Mary [8th
September], both the fleet and anny were disbanded.

After these transactions, Harold Harfaager,^ l^^hig of Nor-
way, brother of St. Olave the king,^ suddenly arrived at the
mouth of the river Tyne, with a powerful fleet of more than
five hundred great ships. Earl Tosti joined him with his
fleet, as they had before agreed, and they made all sail into
the Humbor ; and then ascending the river Tyne against the
current, landed tlieir troops at a place called Eichale. As
soon as king Harold received this news, he marched with all
expedition towards Northumbria ; but, before the king's
arrival, the two brothers, earls Edwin and Morcar, at the
head of a large army, fought a battle with the Norwegians
on the northern bank of the river Ouse, near York, on the
eve of the feast of St. Matthew the Apostle [20th September],
being Wednesday ; and their first onset was so furious that
numbers of the enemy fell before it. But, after a long
struggle, the English, unable to withstand the attack of the
Norwegians, fled with great loss, and many more of them
were drowned in the river than slain in the fiofht. The Nor-
wegians remained in possession of the field of death ; and,
having taken one hundred and fifty hostages from York, and
leaving there one hundred and fifty hostages of their own,
returned to their ships. However, on the fifth day after-
wards, viz. on Monday, the seventh of the calends of
October [25tli September], Harold, king of England, having
reached York, with many thousand well-armed troops, en-
countered the Norwegians at a place called Stanford-bridge,
and put to the sword king Harold and earl Tosti, with the
greatest part of their army ; and, although the battle Mas
severely contested, gained a complete victory. Notwith-
standing, he allowed Harold's son Olaf, and Paul, earl of
Oi-kney, who had been left with part of the army to guard
the ships, to return to their own country, with twenty ships
and the relics of the [defeated] army ; having first received
from tliem hostages and their oaths.

While these events were passing, and when the king might

' Soe note, p. 147.

'He was half-brother only of St. Olavo, on the mother's side.

170 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1066.

have supposed that all his enemies were quelled, he received
intelligence of the arrival of William, earl of Normandy, with
an innumerable host of horsemen, slingers, archers, and
foot soldiers, having taken into his pay auxiliary forces of
great bravery from all parts of France ; and that he had
moored his fleet at a place called Pevensey. Thereupon the
king led his army towards London by forced marches ; and,
although he was very sensible that some of the bravest men
in England had fallen in the two [recent] battles, and that
one half of his troops was not yet assembled, he did not hesi-
tate to meet the enemy in Sussex, without loss of time ; and
on Saturday, the eleventh of the calends of November [22nd
October], before a third of his army was in fighting order, he
gave them battle at a place nine miles from Hastings, where
they had built a fort. The English being crowded in a confined
position, many of them left their ranks, and few stood by him
with resolute hearts ; nevertheless he made a stout resistance
from the third hour of the day until nightfall, and defended
himself with such courage and obstinacy, that the enemy
almost despaired of taking his life. When, however, numbers
had fallen on both sides, he, alas ! fell at twilight. There
fell, also, his brothers, the earls Gurth and Leofric, and almost
all the English nobles. Earl William led his army back to
Hastings.

Harold reigned nine months and as many days. The earls
Edwin and Morcar, who had withdrawn with their troops
from the battle on hearing that he was dead, went to London,
and sent off their sister, queen Elgitha, to Chester ; but
Aldred, archbishop of York, and the earls just mentioned,
with the citizens of London and the seamen, were desirous to
proclaim Edgar the etheling king, he being nephew of king
Edmund Ironside ; and promised that they would renew^ the
war under his banner. But w^hile many were preparing to go
forth to battle, the earls withdrew their support, and returned
home with their army.

Meanwhile, earl William was laying waste Sussex, Kent.
Hampshire, Surre}^, Middlesex, and Herefordshire, and ceased
not from burning vills and slaughtering the inhabitants, unti.
he came to a vill called Beorcham [Berkhampstead], wdiere
Aldred, the archbishop, Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester, Walter.
bishop of Hereford, Edgar the etheling, the earls Edwin anc

A.D. lOGG, 10C7.] WILLIAM I. CROWNED. 171

Morcar, and some Londoners of the better sort, with many-
others, met him, and, giving hostages, made their submission,
and swore fealty to him ; but, although he concluded a treaty
with them, he still allowed his troops to burn and pillage the
vills. The feast of our Lord's Nativity approaching, he
marched the whole army to London that he might be pro-
claimed king there ; and as Stigand, the primate of all Eng-
land, lay under the censure of the apostolical pope for not
having obtained the pall canonically, he was anointed by
Aldred, archbishop of York, with great ceremony, at West-
minster, on Christmas day, which that year fell on a Monday ;
having first, as the archbishop required, sworn before the
altar of St. Peter the apostle, in the presence of the clergy
and people, to protect the holy churches of God and their
governors, and to rule tlie whole nation subject to him with
justice and kingly providence, to make and maintain just laws,
and straitly to forbid every sort of rapine and all unrighteous
judgments.

[a.d. 10G7.] Lent drawing near [21st February], king
William returned to Normandy, taking with him Stigand,
archbishop of Canterbury, Athelnoth, abbot of Glastonbury,
Edgar the etheling, the earls Edwin and Morcar, W^altheof,
son of earl Siward, the noble Ethelnoth, reeve of Kent, and
many others of the chief men of England ; leaving his brother
Odo, bishop of Bayeux, and William Fitz-Osborne, whom he
had created earl of Hereford, governors of England, with
ord'^Ts to build strong castles in suitable places.

Wulfwi, bishop of Dorchester, died at Winchester, but was
buried at Dorchester.

Tliere lived at that time a very powerful thane, Edric,
surnamed the Forester, the son of Elfric, brother of Edric
Streon, whose lands were frequently ravaged by the garrison
of Hereford and Richard Fitz-Scrope, because he disdained
submission to the kin<j: ; but as often as tliev made inroads on
his territories, they lost many of their knights and squires.
This Edric, tlierefore, having summoned to his aid Blethgent
and liitliwallon,^ kings of the Welsh, about the feast of the
Assumption of St. Mary [15th August], laid waste the county

' Tik'thyn and Rhywallon, already mentioned, princes of North
Wales and Powis.

172 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1068, 1069.

of Hereford as far as the bridge on the river Lugg, and carried
off a great booty.

After this, winter being near at hand, king William re-
turned from Normandy to England, and imposed on the
English an insupportable tax. He then marched troops into
Devonshire, and besieged and speedily reduced the city of
Exeter, which the citizens and some English thanes held
against him. But the countess Gritha, mother of Harold,
king of England, and sister of Sweyn, king of Denmark,
escaped from the city, with many others, and retired to
Flanders ; and the citizens submitted to the king, and paid
him fealty. Siward, nineteenth bishop of Rochester, died.

[a.D. i068.] After Easter [23rd March], the countess
Matilda came to England from Normandy, and was crowned
queen by Aldred, archbishop of York, on Whitsunday [11th
May]. After this, Maries weyn and Cospatric, and some of
the most noble of the Northumbrian nation, in order to
escape the king's tyranny, and fearing that, like others, they
might be thrown into prison, took with them Edgar the
etheling, with his mother Agatha and his two sisters, Mar-
garet and Christina, and, embarking for Scotland, wintered
there under favour of Malcolm, king of Scots. Meanwhile,
king William marched his army to Nottingham, and, having
fortified the castle there, proceeded to York, where he
erected two strong forts, and having stationed in them five
hundred men, he gave orders that strong castles should be
built at Lincoln and other places.

While these events were in process, the sons of king
Harold, Godwin, Edmund, and Magnus, returned from Ire-
land, and landed in Somersetshire, where Eadnoth, who had
been the horse-thane of king Harold, opposed them with his
forces, and giving them battle, was slain, with many of his
troops. Flushed with victory, and having carried off much
plunder from Devon and Cornwall, they returned to Ireland.

[a'D. 1069.] Marianus, after his ten years' seclusion at
Fulda, came to Mentz, by order of the bishop of Mentz and
the abbot of Fulda, on the third of the nones [the 3rd] of
April, being the Friday before Palm-Sunday.

Two of Harold's sons came again from Ireland, with sixtv-
four ships, and landing about the Nativity of St. John the
Baptist [24th June] at the mouth of the river Tivy, fought a

A.D. 1060.] REVOLT IN NORTHUMBRIA. 173

severe battle with Brian, count of Brittany ; after which they
returned to the place whence they catne.

On the sixth of the ides [the 10th] of July, being the
Friday in the Nativity of the Seven Holy Brothers, Marianus
secluded liimself near the principal monastery in the same
city [Mentz].

Before the Nativity of St. Mary [8th September] Harold
and Canute, sons of Sweyn, king of Denmark, and their uncle,
earl Asbiorn, with earl Thurkill, arriving from Denmark with
two hundred and forty ships, landed at the mouth of the
river Humber, where they were met by Edgar the etheling,
earl Waltheof, Marlesweyn, and many others, with a fleet they
had assembled. Aldred, archbishop of York, was so dis-
tressed at their arrival, that he fell dangerously sick, and
departed this life, as he besought of God, on Friday the third
of the ides [the 11th] of September, in the tenth year after
he became archbishop, and was buried in the church of St.
Peter on the eighth day afterwards, namely, on Saturday the
thirteenth of the calends of October [19th September]. The
Normans, who garrisoned tlie forts, set fire to the adjacent
houses, fearing that they might be of service to the Danes in
filling up the trenches ; and the flames spreading, destroyed
the whole city, together with the monastery of St. Peter.
But they were speedily punished for this by an infliction of
the divine vengeance ; for on Monday the Danish fleet arrived
before the city was entirely consumed, and the forts being
stormed the same day, and more than three thousand of the
Normans killed (the lives of William Malet and liis wife and
two children, with very few others, being spared), the ships
drew off laden with plunder.

King William, receiving intelligence of this, immediately
assembled an army, and hastened into Northumbria, giving
way to his resentment ; and spent the whole winter in laying
waste the country, slaughtering the inhabitants, and inflicting
every sort of evil, without cessation. Meanwhile, he de-
spatched messengers to the Danish carl, AsbitJrn, and promised
to [)ay him secretly a large sum of money, and grant per-
mission for his army to forage freely along the sea-coast, on
condition that he would depart without fighting wlien the
winter was over ; and he, in las extreme greediness for lucre,
and to his utter disgrace, consented to the proposal. In

174 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1069, 1070.

consequence of the ravages of the Normans, first, in Northum*
bria the preceding year, and again in the present and follow^
ing year, throughout nearly the whole of England, so severe
a famine prevailed in most parts of the kingdom, but chiefly
in Northumbria and the adjacent provinces, that men were
driven to feed on the flesh of horses, dogs, cats, and even of
human beings.

[a.D. 1070.] By the advice of William, earl of Hereford,
and some others, king William, during Lent [I7th February],
caused all the monasteries of England to be searched, and the
money deposited in them by the richer sort of the English, for
security against his violence and rapacity, to be seized and
carried to his own treasury.

In the octaves of Easter [4th April] a great synod was held
at Winchester, by command of king William, who was present
himself, and with the concurrence of the lord Alexander the
pope ; his legates, Ermenfrid, bishop of Sion, and John and
Peter, cardinal-priests of the apostolic see, representing his
authority. In this synod, Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury,
was degraded on three chai'ges : first, for having unlawfully
held the bishopric of Winchester with the archbishopric ;
next, for having taken the archbishopric while archbishop
Robert was living, and even sometimes, in saying mass,
wearing the palHum which Robert left behind him at Canter-
bury when he was unjustly driven from England ; and lastly,
for having accepted the pallium from Benedict, who was
excommunicated by the Holy Roman Church for having
simoniacally usurped the apostolic see. His brother, Ethel-
mar, bishop of the East- Angles, was also degraded ; as were
also a few abbots, the king doing his utmost to deprive the
English of their dignities, that he might appoint persons of
his own nation to their preferments, and thus confirm his
power in his new kingdom. He also deprived several bishops
and abbots, convicted of no open crimes either by the councils
or the laws of the realm, and detained them in prison to the i
end of their lives on mere suspicion, as we have said, of their
being dangerous to his newly-acquired power. In this synod
also, while the rest, aware of the king's bias, were trembling
at the risk they ran of losing their appointmonts, Wulfstan,
bishop of Worcester, boldly demanded the restoration of many
of the possessions of his see which had been retained in his own

i.D. 1070.] ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS. 175

power by archbisliop Aldred, when he was translated from
^Voreester to York, and on his death had fallen into the king's
lands ; and demanded, not only from those who presided at
the synod, but from the king himself, that justice should be
ione him. But as the church of York was silent, not having
\ pastor to plead her cause, it was decided that tlie suit
jhould stand over until such time as, by the appointment of
m arehl)ishop, there should be some one who could reply to
Wulfstan's claims, and after hearing the pleadings on both
jides, a clearer and more equitable judgment might be given,
riius tlie case was adjourned for the present.

On Whitsunday ['J.Srd May] the king, at Windsor, gave
the archbishopric of York to the venerable Thomas, canon of
Bayeux, and the bishopric of Winchester to his chaplain,
Walkeline. On the following day, by the king's command,
Ermenfrid, bishop of Sion, held a synod, [the other legates]
the cardinals John and Peter having returned to Rome. At
this synod, Ethelric, bishop of Sussex, was uncanonically p
ieposed ; and although he was guilty of no crime, the king
joon afterwards placed him in confinement at Marlborough ;
jeveral abbots were also deprived. After these depositions,
the king gave the bisho))ric of East-Anglia to Arfast, and the
bishopric of Sussex to Stigand,^ who were both his chaplains;
which Stigand transferred his see to Chichester, the chief city
in his diocese : the king also gave abbeys to some Norman
LionksJ I'ho archbishop of Canterbury, being degraded, and
the arclibishop of York dead, Walkeline was, by the king's
command, consecrated by the same Ermenfrid, bishop of Sion,
on the octave of W^hitsunday [30th May].

The feast of St. John the Baptist being near, earl Asbiorn
sailed to Denmark witii the fleet which had wintered in the
Huml)er ; but his brother Sweyn outlawed him, because he
had accepted money from king William, to the great regret of
the Danes. Edric, surnamed the Forester, a man of the most
resolute courage, of whom we have spoken before, was recon-
ciled with king William. After this, the king summoned
from Normandy LantVunc, abbot of Caen, a Lombard by birth,
a man of unl)Ounded learning, master of the liberal arts, and
of both sacred and secular literature, and of the greatest

' This first bishop of Chichostcr must not bo confounded with the
arcbbibhup ui' ihu tiume name.

176 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1070, 1071.

prudence in counsel and the administration of worldly affairs ;
and on the day of the Assumption of St. Mary, appointed
him archbishop of Canterbury, causing him to be consecrated
at Canterbury on the feast of St. John the Baptist, being
Sunday. He was consecrated by Gis6, bishop of Wells, ancV
Walter, bishop of Hereford, who were both ordained at RonK
by pope Nicholas, when Aldred, archbishop of York, receivec ,
the pallium, — for he evaded being ordained by Stigand, wh< }
then held the archbishopric of Canterbury, knowing him no !
to have received the pallium canonically. Bishop Herimar
who had already transferred the seat of his bishopric fron
Sherbourne to Salisbury, also assisted at his consecration
with some others. Afterwards, Lanfranc consecrated Thomas
archbishop of York. The suit of the reverend Wulfstan
bishop of Worcester, was again prosecuted, there being no\
a bishop who could advocate the cause of the church ,o
York ; and the affair was, by the aid of God's grace, decide*
at a council held at a place called Pedred, before the king
archbishop Lanfranc, and the bishops, abbots, earls, an'
lords of all England. All the groundless assertions by whici
Thomas and his abettors strove to humble the church of Wor
cester, and reduce her to subjection and servitude to th
church of York, were, by God's just judgment, entire!
refuted and negatived by written documents, so that Wulfsta
not only recovered the possessions he claimed, but, by God'
goodness, and the king's assent, regained for his see all th
immunities and privileges freely granted to it by its firs
founders, the holy king Ethered, Oshere, sub-king of th
Hwiccas, and the other kings of Mercia, Cenred, Ethelbak
Offa, Kenulf, Edward the Elder, Athelstan, Edmund, Edrec
and Edgar.

Ethelwine, bishop of Durham, was taken by king William
retainers, and thrown into prison, where, refusing all food i
the depth of his distress, he died of grief and starvation.^ 0
the death of Siward, bishop of Rochester, Arnostus, a mon
of Bee, succeeded him, and was himself succeeded by Gundul
a monk of the same church.

[a.D. 1071.3 Lanfranc and Thomas went to Rome, an

' The death of Ethelwine is here anticipated, as we find him tl !
following year with Morcar, Hereward, and their associates at El i
aad thrown into prison at Abingdon, where he died.

Ill

A.D. 1072-4.] REVOLT OF THE ENGLISH NOBLES. 177

received the pallium from pope Alexander. Earls Edwin and
Morear escaped secretly from king William's court, finding
that he intended to arrest them, and they were for some time
in arms against hnn ; but seeing that their enterprise was not
successful, Edwin resolved to go to Malcolm, king of the
Scots, but, during the journey, he fell into an ambuscade laid
by his own people, and was killed. Morear and Ethelvvine,
bishop of Durham, Siward, surnamed Barn, and Hereward, a
man of great bravery, with many others, took ship and went
to the Isle of Ely, intending to winter there. The king,
hearing of this, blocked up every outlet on the eastern side of
the island by means of his boatmen, and caused a bridge, two
miles long, to be constructed on the western side. When
they saw that they wei-e thus shut in, they resisted no longer,
and all surrendered themselves to the king, except the brave
Hereward, who escaped through the fens with a few others.
The king immediately sent bishop Ethelwine to Abingdon,
where he was im})risoned, and died the same winter. The
earl and the rest were dispersed in various parts of England,
some being placed in confinement, and others set at liberty
with the loss of their hands or eyes.

[a.d. 1072.] After the Assumption of St. Mary [15th
August], William, king of England, attended by Edric the
Forester, made an exi)edition into Scotland with a naval force
and an army of cavalry, and reduced it under his own domi-
nion ; and Malcolm, king of Scots, met him at a place called
Abernethy, and did him homage. Ethclric, formerly bishop
of Durham, died at Westminster, where king William had
sent him into confinement, on Monday, the ides [the 15th] of
October. U'alcliere, a native of Lorraine, succeeded Ethelwine
in the see of Durham.

[a.d. 1073.] William, king of England, reduced to sub-
jection the city of Mans, and the province belonging to it,
chiefly by the aid of the English whom he had taken over
with him. P]dgar the etheling came from Scotland to
Normandy, passing through England ; and was reconciled to
the king.

[a.d. J 074.] Roger, earl of Hereford, son of William,
earl of the same county, gave his sister to wife to Ilalj)!!,
earl of East Anglia,^ contrary to the command of king
* Earl of Norfolk and Sufi'olk. — Saxon Chronicle.

M

178 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1074.

William,^ and while he was celebrating the nuptials with great
magnificence, and a great number of nobles were assembled
on the occasion at a place called Yxninga, in the province of
Cambridge, a great conspiracy was formed against the king, in
which many of them were concerned, and they inveigled and
over-persuaded earl Waltheof to join their league. However,
as soon as he was able, he went to Lanfranc, archbishop of
Canterbury, and receiving absolution at his hands from his
involuntary oath, by his advice hastened to king William
in Normandy, and laying the whole aiFair before him
threw himself upon his mercy. The other chiefs of the
conspiracy, being resolved to carry out their enterprise, retired
to their castles, and used all their efforts with their adherents
to foment the rebellion. Bat Wulstan, bishop of Worcester,
with a strong body of troops, and Ethelwy, abbot of Evesham,
with his vassals, supported by Urso, sheriff of Worcestershire,
and Walter de Lacy, with their own followers, and a general
muster of the people, marched against the earl of Hereford,
to prevent his fording the Severn and joining his forces to
those of earl Ealph at the place appointed. Odo, bishop
of Bayeux, the king's brother, and Geoffrey, bishop of Cou-
tances, having assembled a large army, both of the English
and Normans, fell in with earl Ealph as he was pitching his
camp near Cambridge. The earl, finding that his plans were
frustrated, and terrified at the number of his opponents,
retired privately to Norwich, and having committed his castle
to the keeping of his wife and his knights, embarked from
England for Little Britain, his enemies pursuing him, and
putting to death or mutilating in various ways such of his
followers as they were able to capture. The commanders
of the king's army then besieged his castle, until peace
being granted by the king's permission, the countess had
leave to quit England with her attendants. After these
occurrences, in the course of the autumn, the king returned
from Normimdy, and put earl Roger in confinement ; he also
gave earl Waltheof into custody, although he had implored
his mercy.

Edgitha, sister of King Harold, and formerly queen of
England, died at Winchester on the fourteenth of the calends

^ The Saxon Chronicle says that king William "gave William
Fitz-Osbern's daughter in max-riage to earl Ralph."

A. D. 1075 — 7.] WALTHEOF's EXECUTION. 179

of January, that is in the montli of December [the lOtli],
Her corpse was, by the king's coinmantl, carried to London,
and buried with fjreat pomp near the body of her husband,
king Edward, at Westminster, where the king held his court
at the ensuing Christmas ; and of those Avho had lifted up
themselves against him, some he banished from England, and
others he ignominiously punished by the loss of their eyes or
hands, and tlie earls Waltheof and Roger having been found
giulty by a judgment of the court, were thrown into closer
confinement.

[a.d. 1075.] Earl Waltheof having been brought outside
the city of Winchester, by king William's order, was cruelly
and undeservedly beheaded, and thrown into a hole on tiie
the spot ; but in the course of time, by the providence of
God, his body was exhumed, and conveyed with great honour
to Croyland, where it was entombed in the church with due
ceremony. The earl, during the close of his life, when in
close confinement, ceaselessly and most bitterly lamented
whatever he had done amiss, and strove to propitiate God by
vigils, prayers, fastings, and alms. Men, indeed, sought to
blot out the remembrance of him on earth, but we firmly
believe that he is rejoicing with the saints in heaven. For
this we have the faithful testimony of archbishop Lanfranc, of
pious memory, who having received his confession, and ad-
ministered absolution and penance, declared that he was
guiltless of the crime laid to his charge, the conspiracy
already mentioned ; and as to his other offences, he had
lamented them with tears of penitence, so that he himself
should have reason to be thankful if, after his own departure,
he should be partaker of the same blessed rest.^ After this,
the king crossed the sea, and invading the lesser Britain, sat
down before the castle of Dol, until Philip, king of France,
forced him to retreat.
[a.d. 1076.]

[a.d. 1077.] Robert, king William's eldest son, feeling
aggrieved at not being put into possession of Normandy,

' Cf. the very circumstantial account cjivcn by Ordericus Vitalis, of
earl Waltheot's share in the conspiracy, his trial and traj^ical imprison-
ment and execution, and the removal of his remains to Croyland. U.
iv. cc. xiv. and xvii. Vol. ii., pp. 79, <S(), and 102, lO.S, Bohns Antiq.
Lib. See aliio Ingul[)h's Chronicle, ibid, pp. 145-7 and 'iOO.

N 2

180 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER. [a.D. 1079, 1080.

which his father had granted him in the presence of Philip,
king of France, before his expedition to England, went to
France, and, supported by Philip, made frequent inroads into
Normandy, plundering and burning the vills and destroying
the people, so that he occasioned his father no little loss and
anxiety.^

[a.D. 1079.] Malcolm, king of the Scots, after the feast of
the Assumption of St. Mary [15th August], ravaged North-
umbria as far as the great river Tyne, and having slain
numbers of the people, and made still more captives, he re-
turned with an immense booty. King William, while engaged
in a combat with his son Robert before the castle of Gerberoi,
which king Philip had granted to him, was wounded by him
in the arm and unhorsed ; but Robert, recognising his father's
voice, instantly dismounted, and, bidding him mount his
own charger, suffered him to depart. The king soon after-
wards retreated, having had many of his men slain and some
taken prisoners, and his son William and several others
wounded.

The venerable Robert, who had received the order of
priesthood by the hands of Wulfstan, the most reverend bishop
of Worcester, was consecrated bishop of Hereford by Lanfranc,
the archbishop, on the fourth of the calends of January
[29th December], at Canterbury.

[a.D. 1080.] Walchere, bishop of Durham, a native of
Lorraine, was slain by the Northumbrians on Thursday the
second of the ides [14th] of May, at a place called " Caput
Capraj" (Goat's or Gates-head), in revenge for the death of
Liulf, a noble thane. This man had many hereditary
domains in various parts of England ; but as the Normans
at that time gave free vent to their ferocity in every quarter,
he retired to Durham with all belonging to him, having a
devoted regard for St. Cuthbert : for, as he was wont to
relate to Aldred, archbishop of York, and other men of
religion, that saint often appeared to him, both sleeping and
waking, and revealed to him, as his faithful votary, all that he
wished to have done. Under his protection, then, Liulf lived
for a long time, sometimes in the town, sometimes on the
estates he held in that part of the country. Bishop Walchere

^ Cf. Ordericus Vitalis, b. iv. c. xx.

A.D. 1080.] BISHOP OF DURHAM KILLED. 181

had welcomed his arrival at Durham, being himself entirely
devoted to the same saint, and he therefore entertained so
great a regard for him that he was loath to transact any
business of importaTiee in his secular concerns without his
advice. In consequence of this, his chaplain Leobwine, whom
he had raised to such a j)itch of power that scarcely anything
was moved either in the bishopric or in the county without
his consent, at once stung to the quick by jealousy, and
puffed up with excessive pride by his own pre-eminence,
treated Liulf with great arrogance ; making light of his
opinions and counsels, and using every eflbrt to render them
null. Frequently also, when arguing wMth him in the bishop's
presence, he provoked him to anger by opprobrious language,
and even used threats. On one occasion, when this same
Liulf, having been called to his counsels by the bishop, had
given his decisions according to law and justice, Leobwine
violently opposed him, and exasperated him by contemptuous
expressions. As t^ie other, "however, replied to him with
more vehemence than he was wont, he immediately left the
court, and calling aside Gilbert, to whom the bishop, as being
his kinsman, had deputed the government of the county of
Northumbria, earnestly besought him to avenge him by com-
passing Liulfs deatli on the first opportunity. Gilbert,
readily consenting to this iniquitous request, having collected
in a body his own retainers and those of the bishop and
Leobwine, went one night to the vill where Liulf then was,
and wickedly slew him in his own house with nearly all his
household. On hearing this, the bishop uttered a deep groan,
and tearing off his hood from his head and casting it on the
ground, said mournfully, " This has been effected through
your crafty devices and most ill-advised suggestions, and
I would have you know that, for a surety, you have destroyed
both yourself and me and all my establi^shment by the sword
of your tongue." Saying this, he hastily shut himself up in
the castle, and took care, by despatching messengers with all
speed throughout Northumbria, to make it generally known
that, so far from having been privy to Liulfs deatli, he had
banislu'd from Northumbria his murderer Gilbert and all his
accomplices, and was ready to clear himself by submitting to
the judgment of the pope. Then, by the exchange of mes-
fiCDgers, he and the kindred of those who were slain, having

182 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1080.

made a truce between themselves, fixed time and place in
which they would meet and conclude a firm peace with
each other.

At the time appointed they assembled at the place agreed
on ; but the bishop was unwilling to have the cause pleaded
in the open air, and entered a church which was on the spot,
with his clerks and the more honourable of his knights ; and,
having consulted with them, sent out to them again and again
chosen friends to treat of terms of peace : but they would by
no means assent to his proposals, considering it certain that
Liulf had been put to death by the bishop's orders ; for not
only had Leobwine, on the very night after the murder of his
neighbour, entertained Gilbert and his associates with friendly
familiarity, but the bishop himself had admitted him among
his household with the same favour as before : wherefore, they
first massacred all those of the bishop's party who were out-
side the church, a few only saving themselves by flight.
Seeing this, to satisfy the rage of his adversaries, the bishop
ordered the before-mentioned Gilbert, his kinsman, whose life
was sought, to go out of the church ; who, as he went, was
closely followed by men-at-arms ready to defend liim ; but
the enemy fell upon them instantly with swords and spears,
and killed them all, except two English thanes, who were
sjDared out of regard to their kindred.

They also slew Leofwine, dean of Durham, as soon as he
came out, because he had often given the bisliop adverse
counsels, and the rest of the clergy with him. But the bishop,
finding that their rage could not be appeased by any means
short of the sacrifice of the chief author of all the calamity,
Leobwine, requested him to go forth. Being, however, en-
tirely unable to prevail upon him to venture, he proceeded
himself to the door of the church and intreated that his own
life might be saved. His prayers being rejected, he covered
his head with the skirt of his robe, and, passing tlirough the
open door, was instantly despatched by the swords of the
enemy. They next commanded Leobwine to come forth, and,
on his refusing, set fire to the walls and roof of the church ;
but he preferring to end his life by fire rather than by the
sword, bore the flames for some time. At length, half-burnt,
he leaped down, and, being dashed in pieces, paid the penalty
of his iniquity by his miserable end. To avenge the atrocious

A.D. 1081-3.] OUTRAGE AT GLASTONBURY. 183

murder of tliese men, king William ravaged Northumbria the
same year.

[a.d. 1081.] William, abbot of the monastery of St. Vincent,
the martyr, having been chosen by king William, ^vas appointed
to the bishopric of Durham, and consecrated by archbishop
Thomas on the nones [the 5th] of January.

[a.d, 1082.] King William caused his brother Odo, bishop
of Bayeux, to be placed in confinement in Normandy.

[a.d. 1083.] There was a dreadful quarrel between the
monks of Glastonl)ury and their abbot, Thurstan, a man un-
wortliy of the dignity, who had been raised to it by king
William from being a monk of Caen, indiscreet as he was.
Among his other acts of folly, he attempted to force the
monks to relinquish the Gregorian chaunt, which he despised,
and to learn to sing that of one William, a monk of Fecamp.
They were much aggrieved at this, having grown old in the use
of this, as well as in other ecclesiastical offices, according to
the usage of the Roman church ; whereupon he suddenly
broke into the chapter-house at the head of an armed band of
men in arms, one day when they least expected it, and pursued
the terrified monks, who took refuge in the church, to the
foot of the altar. The armed band jnerced the crosses and
the images and shrines of the saints with darts and arrows,
and even speared to death one of the monks as he was clinging
to the altar ; another was shot by arrows on the altar-steps ;
the rest, driven by necessity, defended themselves bravely
with the benches and candlesticks of the church, and, although
severely wounded, drove the soldiers out of the choir. Two
of the monks were killed and fourteen wounded, and some of
the soldiers also received wounds.

On the trial for this outrage, it appeared that the abbot was
most to ))lame, and the king removed him and sent him back
to his monastery in Normandy. A great number of the monks
were, by the king's conminnd, dispersed among the cathedrals
and abbeys, where they were confined. After his death, the
abbot repurchased the abl)ey from his son, king William, for
five hundred pounds ; and, after wandering about for some
years among the possessions of the church, ended Ins life in
misery far from the monastery, as he deserved. Queen
Matilda died in Normandy on Thursday the fourth of the
Rones [the 2nd] of November, and was buried at Caen.^
' Ordericus Vitalis, vol. ii., p. 376, in Antiq. Lib.

184 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1084-1086.

[a.d. 1084.] William, king of England, levied six shillings
from every hide of land throughout England.

[a.d. 1085.] Edmund, abbot of Pershore, a man of eminent
worth and piety, died in a good old age on Sunday the seven-
teenth of the calends of July [15th June], and was honourably
buried by Serlo, the venerable abbot of Gloucester : he was
succeeded by Thurstan, a monk of Gloucester. The same
year, Canute, king of Denmark, assembled a powerful fleet
for an expedition to England, in which he had the sujjport of
his father-in-law, Robert, earl of Flanders. In consequence,
king William took into his pay a great many thousand troops,
consisting of archers and foot-soldiers, from every part of
France, and some from Normandy, and, returning to England
in the time of autumn, distributed them througliout the
kingdom, giving orders to the bishops, abbots, earls, barons,
sheriffs, and royal officers to supply them with provisions.
Finding, however, that the threatened hostilities were frus-
trated, he disbanded part of his army, detaining the rest in
England through the whole winter. During Christmas he
held his court at Gloucester, where he gave bishoprics to
three of his chaplains. Maurice had London ; William, Thet-
ford ; and Robert, Chester.

[a.d. 1086.] King William caused a record^ to be made
through all England of how much land each of his barons
held, the number of knight-fees, of ploughs, of villains, and
beasts ; and also of all the ready money every man possessed
throughout his kingdom, from the greatest to the least, and
how much rent each estate was able to pay ; and the land
was sorely harassed by the distress which ensued from it.

In Whitsun-week [24th May] the king conferred the honour
of knighthood on his son Henry, at Westminster where he held
his court. Soon afterwards he summoned all archbishops,
bishops, abbots, earls, barons, and sheriffs, with their knights,
to meet him at Salisbury on the calends [the 1st] of August,
and on their appearance enforced on the knights an oath of
fealty to himself against all others.

About this time, the etheling Edgar, having obtained the
king's licence, crossed the sea with two hundred knights and
went to Apulia : his sister, the virgin Christina, entered the
monastery of Ramsey and became a nun. The same year

^ It is hardly necessary to remark that our author refers to the
Domesday Book.

A.D. 1087.] WILLIAM RUFUS SUCCEEDS. 185

there was a great murrain among the cattle, and the atmo-
sphere was very sickly.

[a.d. 1087.] This year there was great mortality, first
from fevers, and afterwards from famine. Meanwliile, the
devouring flames laid nearly all the cities of England in ruins,
including the church of St. Paul the apostle, and the largest
and best part of London. King Canute fell a martyr at the
hands of his subjects in a church, on Saturday the sixth of
the ides [tlie lUth] of July.^ Stigand, bishop of Chichester,
Scolland, abbot of St. Augustine's (Canterbury), Alsy, abbot
of Bath, and Thurstan, abbot of Pershore, died.

Before the feast of the Assumptionof St. Mary [15th August],
king William entered France witJi an army, and having burnt
the town of Mantes, witli all the churches in it, and two re-
cluses, tlien returned to Normandy; but on his return he
was seized by dreadful pains in the bowels, which grew worse
from day to day. His disorder increasing so that he perceived
that death was approaching, he liberated his brotlier Odo, bishop
of Bayeux, the earls Morcar, Roger, and Siward, surnamed
Barn, with Wulnoth, king Harold's brother, whom he had
kept in prison from his childhood, and all whom he had im-
prisoned either in England or Normandy. He then made
over the kingdom of England to his son William,^ and
granted the duchy of Normandy to Ids eldest son, Bobert,
who was at that time an exile in France ; and so, strengthened
i>y tlie heavenly viaticum, he yielded up his life and his
kingdom on tlje fiftli of the ides [the Dth] of September,
liaving reigned in England twenty years, ten months, and
twenty-eiglit days. He lies buried at Caen, in the church of
St. Stoj)hen, the Proto-martyr, which he founded and en-
dowed liimself.

His son William crossed over to England in great haste,
taking with him Wulnoth and Morcar ; but as soon as he
reached Winchester he placed them in confinement as before;
and on Sunday the sixth of the calends of October
[JGth September] he was crowned at Westminster by

' Cf. Ordfrieus Vitalis, b. vii. c. xi ; and two notes in vol. ii., pp.
382, '^H^, of the fdition in Bohna Antiq. Lib.

' Ordcricus Vitalis ;^ivos a dilVcrcnt representation ; /6A/., p. 413.
Chapters xv — xvii. of this worlv give the best account of the closing
acts and scenes of the Conqueror's life.

186 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1087, 1088.

Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury. Then returning to
Winchester he divided his father's treasure among the
churches in England, according to his directions ; namely,
that some of the principal churches should have ten marks of
gold, some six, and others less ; and to each of the churches
in his cities and vills he gave sixty pence : he also commanded
that crosses, altars, reliquaries, missals,-^ candlesticks, holy-
water pots,^ and chalices,^ and various ornaments, studded
with gems, gold, silver, and precious stones, should be dis-
tributed among the greater churches and abbeys. His brother
Robert also, on his return to Normandy, liberally distributed
the treasures he found ; giving them to the monasteries and
churches and the poor, for the good of his father's soul ; and,
releasing from prison Ulf, the son of Harold, formerly king of
England, and Duncan, son of Malcolm, king of the Scots,
conferred on them the honour of knighthood, and permitted
them to depart.

[a.D. 1088.] This year there was great dissension among
the English nobility; for part of the Norman nobles, although
they were few in number, favoured king William, while the
other part, which was the most numerous, adhered to Robert,
earl of Normandy, and wished to invite him over, and either
betray alive the brother w^ho was king to his brother the earl,
or deprive the king of his crown and life. The chief movers
in this execrable design were Odo, bishop of Bayeux, who was
also earl of Kent, and Robert, earl of Morton, his brother,
both of whom were brothers of king William the Elder, but
only by the mother's side.* There were also concerned in the

' Textos. Looking to its connection with other church furniture,
this word might perhaps be rendered coverings (for the altar or its
ornaments), although in pure Latin it would then be texta. We are,
however, inclined to think that it means books used in the service of
the altar ; the missal, together with the canon of the mass, containing the
introits, graduals, tracts, lessons, &c., besides the epistles and gospels ;
all which may be called texts.

^ Situlas; the word is so applied in an inventory of the church of
Spires, a.d. 1419. "Item, unus situlus cum aspergerio argenti pro
aqua benedicta.

^ Fistulas ; the word was originally applied to the reed used in
administering the cup to the faithful, when the communion was given
in both kinds.

* Bishop Odo and Robert, earl of Morton, were the sons of Harlotta,
the mother of William the Conqueror, by Herluin de Conteville, to
whom she was married before the death of Robert.

A.D. loss.] THE barons' REVOLT. 187

plot Geoffrey, bishop of Coiitfinces, witli his nepliew Robert,
earl of Northunibria, Roger, earl of Shrewsbury, and what
was worse still, William, bishop of Durham ; for at this very
time the king relied on his discretion as a faithful counsellor,
lie being a man of great sagacity, and the whole common-
wealth of England was under his administration. They were
men whose vast landed possessions gave them great pre-
ponderance in England. The number of their comrades in
arms, and associates in the conspiracy, daily increased. This
execrable design was secretly discussed during Lent [March
1st — April 9th], so that it might burst forth after Easter
[10th April] ; for withdrawing from the king's court they
fortified their castles, and prepared to spread fire and sword,
rapine and slaughter through the country. What an accursed
deed was this, a conflict worse than civil war ! Fathers fought
against sons, brothers against brothers, friends against kins-
men, foreigners against foreigners.

Meanwhile, Odo, bishop of Bayeux, having fortified
Rochester, sent to Normandy, exhorting earl Robert to lose
no time in coming to England, informing him of what had
taken place, and assuring him that the kingdom was ready for
liim, and that if he were not wanting to himself, the crown
was his own. Struck with the unexpected news, the earl
announces it to his friends with exultation, already anticipates
a triumph, secure of success, and invites numbers to share the
s})oil. He sends an auxiliary force to the support of bishop
Odo, his uncle, in England, and promises to follow it as
soon as he can assemble a larger army. The troops despatched
by earl Robert on their arri\al in England had the custody
of Rochester intrusted to them by bishop Odo ; Eustace the
younger, count of Boulogne, and Robert de Belesme, as the
men of highest rank, assuming the command.

When the king received intelligence of this movement, he
was strangely troubled ; but relying on his undaunted valour,
and having sent messengers who, by virtue of his royal authority,
summoned to his side those he considered loyal, he wxMit to
London for the purpose of ordering all matters and providing
means for the prosecution of the war. Assembling troops,
both horse and foot, to form an army, which, though small,
contained as many Normans as he could at ])resent muster,
but consisted chiefly of English, and making [just] laws and

188 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1088.

promising all sorts of good things to his adherents, he put
his trust in God's mercy, and prepared to march to Rochester,
where he heard the enemy's main body was stationed. For
he was given to undei'stand that the bishop Odo was there
with all his force, and the troops from beyond sea. Having
put his army in motion, he found that Tunbridge, a place
belonging to Gilbert Pitz-Richard, was held against him ; he
therefore laid siege to it, stormed it in two days, and forced
Gilbert, who was wounded, to surrender himself and his
castle. The report of this reaching Odo's ears, after con-
sulting with his friends, he left Rochester and proceeded
with a few followers to the castle of his brother Robert,
earl of Morton, called Pevensey. Finding his brother
there, he exhorted him to hold out, assuring them that they
should be safe there ; and while the king was engaged in
the siege of Rochester, the earl of Normandy would arrive
with a large army, and, relieving them and their garrison,
make himself master of the kingdom, and amply reward his
adherents.

The king, having reduced Tunbridge and received the
fealty of the inhabitants, left Gilbert there in consequence of
his wound, and, placing a garrison in the castle, was on the
point of continuing his march to Rochester according to his
first intention, when he heard that his uncle had left it and
gone to Pevensey. Acting, therefore, on sound advice, he
led his army in pursuit of him to that place, hoping that he
should sooner terminate the war, if he could first triumph
over the authors of all the mischief we have described. He
made forced marches, he prepared his engines, he besieged
his two uncles. The place was strongly fortified, but he
made incessant efforts to reduce it.^

Meanwhile the storm of war raged in every part of Eng-
land. The garrison of Rochester fell on the people of
Canterbury and London with fire and sword ; for Lanfranc,
the archbishop, and nearly all the nobles of that province,
were with the Idng. Roger,^ an ally of Robert, was at his

' Our author's account of the important events connected with the
siege of Rochester, which ended in the expulsion of the bishop of
Mayeux, is very concise. Cf. Ordericus Vitalis, vol. ii., pp.436 — 441.

^ Roger de Montgomery, earl of Shrewsbury. Arundel was the
first English fief granted to his father.

A.D. 1088.] CIVIL WARS. 189

castle of Anindol, expecting the arrival of the earl of Nor-
mandy.^ Geoffrey, bishop of Coutances, held Bristol castle in
conjunction with his ncjihew and accomplice in conspiracy and
treason, Robert de Mowbray, a man of military experience ;
who, collecting troops, attacked Batli, a city of the king's,
and having burnt and plundered it, passed on towards Wilt-
shire, where he ravaged the vills and slaughtered many of the
inhabitants, and at length reached Ilchester, and sat down
before it, determined to take it. The besiegers were animated
in their attacks by the hope of plunder and the desire of
victory. The men in the garrison made a stout resistance in
defence of themselves and those who were dear to them. At
length, of the two, those who were driven to extremity
triumphed, and Robert, being repulsed, retired, mourning
over his ill success. William d'Eu made an irruption into
Grloucestershire, and having plundered the royal vill of
Berkeley, committed great ravages through the country with
Bre and sword.

[^Worcestej' defended by Bishop Wulf start.']

While so much destruction was wrought in every quarter,
Bernard du Neuf-Marche, Roger de Lacy, who had lately
(vrested Hereford from the king, and Ralph de Mortemer,^
locomplices in the conspiracy, with the vassals of Roger, earl
)f Shrewsbury, having assembled a numerous army of English,
S^ormans, and Welsh, burst into the province of Worcester,
leclaring that they would burn the city of Worcester,
blunder the church of God and St. Mary, and take summary
/■engeance on the inhabitants for their loyalty to the king.
')n hearing this, the reverend father Wulfstan, bishop of
iVorcester,'* — a man of deep piety and dove-like sim})licity,

' Comitis prcedicli. Florence of Worcester, throiif^hout his chron-
cle, (kvsi<;nat('S Robert as <'arl,iiot duko, of Normandy.

^ Ordcricus Vitalis adds "O.-hern, son of rkioliard,sui-iiainod Scroop,"
o the list. lie appears, by Domesday Book, to liavo held in capite
ands in Worc(>st(^rshire.

3 St. Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester, 1002 — Jan. 18, 1095. Florence,
n tliis and subs('(pient j)assa<;es, naturally enters into more details of
•v(!nts connected with Worcestershire and the adjoining counties, than
my other chronicler.

190 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1088.

beloved alike by God and the people he entirely governed,
faithful to the king as his earthly lord, under all circum-
stances,— was in great tribulation ; but soon rallying, by God's
mercy, prepared himself like another Moses to stand manfully
by his people and city. While they armed themselves to re-
pel the enemy, he poured forth supplications in the impending
danger, exhorting his people not to despair of the help of
God, who fighteth not with sword and spear. Meanwhile, the
Normans, taking counsel, entreated the bishop to remove
from the church into the castle, saying that his presence
would give them more security if they should be in greater
peril : for they loved him much. Such was his extraordinary
kindness of heart, that, from duty to the king and regard for
them, he assented to their request.

Thereupon the bishop's retainers bravely made ready to fight ;
the garrison and the whole body of the citizens assembled,
declaring that they would encounter the enemy on the other
side of the Severn, if the bishop would give them leave.
Taking their arms, therefore, and being arrayed for battle,
they met the bishop as he was going to the castle, and besought
him to grant their desire, to which he freely assented. " Go,'*
said he, "my sons, go in peace, go in confidence, with the
blessing of God, and mine. Trusting in God, I promise you
that no sword shall hurt you this day, no disaster, no enemy.
Be firm in your loyalty to the king, and do valiantly for the
safety of the people and the city." On hearing these words
they cheerfully crossed the bridge which had been repaired,
and beheld from a distance the enemy rapidly approaching.
The fury of war was already raging with violence through
their ranks, for, despite of the bishop's injunctions, they had
set fire to his own domains. On hearing this, the bishop was
striken with deep sorrow, seeing the impoverishment of the
possessions of the church ; and holding council upon it, was
wrought upon by the unanimous voice of all present to
pronounce a curse upon the enemy.

A miracle ensued, which showed at once the power of God,
and the worthiness of the man ; for the enemy, who were dis-
persed in parties through the fields, were instantly struck with
such feebleness in their limbs, and loss of eyesight, that they
were scarcely able to carry their arms, or recognise their com-
rades, or discern those who were advancing to attack them.

A.D. 1089-91.] WORCESTER SAVED BY WULFSTAN. 191

While they in their blindness were at a loss what to do, con-
fidence in God and the bishop's blessing encouraged our party.
They had so lost their wits that they neither had the sense to
efloet a retreat, nor sought any moans of defence ; but being
by God's judgment given up to the fate of the reprobate,
they easily fell into the hands of their enemies. The foot
3oldiers were put to the sword, the knights and their mounted
followers, English, Norman, and Welsh, were taken prisoners,
the rest barely managing in their feeble state to make their
escape. The king's liege-men and the bishop's retainers
returned home in triumph without the loss of a single man ;
thanking God for the preservation of the property of the
L'hurch, and the bishop for his salutary counsels.

[a.d. 1089.] Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury, died
on Thursday the 9th of the calends of June [24th May].
The same year, on Saturday the third of the ides [the 11th
of August], about the third hour, there was a great earthquake
throughout all England.

[a.d. 1090.] William the younger, king of England,
coveted to wrest Normandy from his brother Robert, and
subject it to his own dominion. His first step was to make
terms with Walter de St. Valery and Odo d' Aumale, for putting
their castles into his hands, and he afterwards got possession
of other castles in the same way ; and in all these he stationed
troops, with orders to ravage Normandy. Earl Robert, find-
ing this, and discovering the disloyalty of his nobles, sent
envoys to Philip, king of France, his liege-lord, to invite him
into Normandy ; whereupon he and the king laid siege
to one of the castles in which his brother had placed a garri-
son. This being reported to king William, he sent privately
a, large sum of money to king Philip, and earnestly entreated
him to raise the siege and return home ; to which Philip con-
sented.

[a.d. 1001.] In the month of February, king William the
y^ounger went over to Normandy with the determinjition to
wrest it from his brother Robert; but while he remained
there peace was made between them on the terms that the
earl should freely cede to tlie king the county of Eu, the ab-
bey of Fecamp, the abbey of Mount St. Michael, Cherbourg,
and the castles which had revolted from him ; while the king
undertook, on his part, to reduce tiie province of Maine,

192 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1091.

and the castles in Normandy which were then held against
the earl to subjection to him ; should restore their English
domains to all the Normans who had forfeited them by their
adherence to the earl ; and should grant him such lands in
England as they had already agreed on. It was stipulated,
in addition, that if the earl should die without leaving a son
born in lawful w^edlock, the king should be his heir ; and if
the king should happen to die under similar circumstances,
the earl should be his heir. This treaty was ratified by the
oaths of twelve barons on the king's side and twelve on the
earl's.

Meanwhile, their brother Henry, at the head of all the
troops he could muster, got possession of Mount St. Michael,
some of the monks abetting him ; and began to ravage the
lands of the king, taking some of his vassals prisoners and
plundering others. Thereupon the king and the earl assem-
bled an army and besieged the mount during the whole of
Lent [26th February], having frequent skirmishes with prince
Henry, in which they lost some of their men and horses. The
king, however, becoming weary of the length of the siege, drew
off without coming to terms ; and shortly afterwards took from
Edgar the etheling the possessions which the earl had granted
him, and forced him to quit Normandy.

[Irruptions of the Scots.']

In the month of May, Malcolm, king of the Scots, made an
irruption into Northumbria with a great army,^ intending, if
he was successful, to proceed further and make the people of
England feel his power. However, God w^ould not allow it, and
his enterprise failed ; but before he returned his army pillaged
Northumbria and they carried away much booty. On re-
ceiving this intelligence the king returned to England with
his brother Robert in the month of Aus'ust, and not lonsr
afterwards set on foot an expedition, consisting of a consider-
able fleet and a large body of horse, to bring Malcolm the
king of the Scots to submission ; but before he reached Scot-
land, a few days before the feast of St. Michael, nearly all
the ships were sunk, and many of his horsemen perished from

* Cf. Ordericus Vitalis, b. viii. c. xxii.

A.D. 1091.] PEACE WITU MALCOLM. 193

cold and hunger. He was met by king ^Malcolm, with his
army, in the provinces of Lothian.^ Earl Robert perceiving
this, iHvited over Edgar the etheling, who having been ex-
pelled from Normandy by king William was then living with
the king of the Scots. By his assistance he concluded a peace
between tlie two kings, on the terms that Malcolm should do
fealty to William in the same manner his father had done, and
that William should restore to Malcolm twelve vills Avhich he
had held under his father, and should pay him, yearly, twelve
marks of gold. But the peace concluded between them was
of sliort duration. Edgar himself was also reconciled with
the king througli the earl's mediations.

Winchcomhe Church struck hy Lightning.

On Wednesday the first of the ides [the 15th] of October,
a thunderbolt struck with great force the tower of Winch-
combe church, making a large aperture in the wall near the
summit, and, after having riven one of the beams, struck the
head from a crucifix and threw it on the ground, breaking
also tlie riglit leg. An image of St. Mary, which stood near
the crucifix, was also struck down. A thick smoke, with a
suifoeating stench, then burst forth and filled the whole
church, lasting until the monks went the circuit of the cham-
bers of the monastery, with holy water and incense, and
the relics of the saints, chanting psalms. Moreover, on Fri-
day the sixteenth of the calends of November [IGth October]
a violent whirlwhind from the south-west shook and demo-
lished more than six hundred houses and a great number of
churches in London. Kusiiing through the church of St.
Mary, called " le Bow," it killed two men, and tearing up
the roof and timbers, and whirling them for a long time to
and fio in the air, at last drove six of the rafters, in the same
order in which they were before fixed in the roofs, so deep
into the earth that only the seventh or eighth part of tliem
was visible, although they were twenty-seven or twenty-eight
feet lonfc.

'O*

' Loldis ; not " the district of Leods,*' as siigi^ested in a note of the
Enomrii IIisTOKiCAL Society's cditiou of Florence. See Ordericus
Vitalis, vol. iii , j). 10.

O

194 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1091, 1092.

After this the king returned from Northumbria into Wessex
through Mercia, and kept the earl with him until nearly
Christma?, but refused to fulfil the conditions of the treaty
which had been made between them ; at which the earl was
so much dissatisfied that he hastened back to Normandy on
the tenth of the calends of January [23rd December], taking
Edgar the etheling with him.

[TAe Pope and Antipope Urban II. and Clemens?^

There were at this time, as was- reported in England, two
popes of Rome, so called, who opposed each other, and made
a schism in the church of God, namely, Urban, whose original
name was Odo, bishop of Ostia, and Clement, wlio was called
Guibert, archbishop of Ravenna. This affair so perplexed
the church of England for many years, to say nothing of other
parts of the world, that from the time of the death of Gregory,
who was also called Hildebrand, up to this period, it yielded
submission and obedience to no one claiming to be pope.
Italy and Gaul had already acknowledged Urban as the vicar
of St. Peter.

[a.D. 1092.] The city of London was almost entirely
destroyed by fire. On Monday the nones [the 5th] of April,
Osmund, bishop of Salisbury, assisted by Walkelin, bishop of
Winchester, and John, bishop of Bath, consecrated the church
which he had built in the castle of Sarum. Remi, who by
license from William the Elder had transferred the seat of his
bishopric from Dorchester to Lincoln, was desirous of conse-
crating the church which he had built at Lincoln, worthy
indeed to be the cathedral of a bishop's see,^ because he felt
that the day of his death was at hand ; but Thomas, arch-
bishop of York, opposed him, asserting that the church was
built within his diocese. However, king William the younger,
for a sum of money paid to him by Remi, summoned nearly
all the bishops of England to assemble together on the twen-
tieth of the ides [the 9th] of May, and dedicate the church ;
but two days before the time fixed, by the mysterious provi-
dence of God, bishop Remi himself departed from the world,
and in consequence the consecration of the church was de-
ferred. After this the king went into Northumbria, and
* Cf. Henr^ of Huntingdon, pp. 219, 220, Antiq. Lib.

A.D. 1002, 1093.] WILLIAM II.'S ILLNESS. 195

restored tlie city wliicli is called in the British tongue Cairleii,
and in Latin Lugubalia (Carlisle), and built a castle there ; for
this city, like some others in that quarter, had been laid in
ruins by the heathen Danes two hundred years before, and
had been uninhabited up to this time.

[a.d. 1093.] King William the younger being seize<l
with severe illness, at the royal vill called Alveston, hastily
removed to Gloucester, and lay there in a languishing con-
dition during the whole of Lent. Thinking that death was
near, he vowed to God, at the suggestions of his barons, to
amend his life, to relinquish the practice of selling, and im-
posing taxes on, churches, but, on the contrary, to protect
them by his royal authority ; and, annulling unjust laws, enact
those such as were good. Moreover, he gave to Anselm, abbot
of Bee, who was then in England, the archbishopric of Can-
terbury, and to Robert, surnamed Bloet, his chancellor, the
bishopric of Lincoln. But Anselm Mas not permitted to
receive anything from the archbishopric beyond what the king
allowed, until the annual rent which he had received from it
since Lanfranc's death was fully paid.

Kliys, king of Wales, was slain in battle during Easter-week,
near Brecknock castle. From that day kings ceased to reign in
AVales.^ ^Malcolm, king of the Scots, met king William the
younger at Gloucester, on the day of the feast of St. Bar-
tholomew the apostle, as they had previously concerted
tln-ough their ambassadors, in order that peace being restored,
there might be a firm alliance between them, agreeably to the
wishes of some of the principal English nobles. But they
separated without coming to any agreement ; for William's
pride and insolence was such, that he refused to have any
interview and conference with Malcolm. Moreover, he sought
to compel him to do him homage in his own court, and abide^he
judgment of his own barons only ; but ^laleolm was by no means
disposed to do this, excei)t on the borders of his own kingdonj,
where the kings of Scotland were wont to do homage to the

' Rhys-ap-Te\v(l\vr, the last kin^-, properly so called, of South Wales,
died at the i\<i;c of yi), fio^htin;; for the independence of his country, on
the lilaek Mountain.s, near lirecknock, ad, 1():)1. accordint; to War-
rington. Th" country was then finally parcelled out among the
Norman Lord-Wardens and inferior Welsh chiefs; Ilhys's sou never
having been able to establish his rights.

o2

196 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1093.

kings of England, and according to tlie judgment of tlie
barons of both kingdoms. After this a very wonderful sign
appeared in the sun ; and Roger, earl of Shrewsbury, Guy,
abbot of St. Augustine's monastery, and Paul, abbot of St.
Alban's, died. In the same year also died Robert, earl of
Flanders, a man of great valour ; and his eldest son Robert
succeeded him.

Malcolm, king of the Scots, and his eldest son, Edward,
with many others, were slain by the troops of Robert, earl of
Northumbria, on the feast-day of St. Brice [13th November]. |
Margaret, queen of the Scots, was so deeply affected by the
news of their death, that she fell dangerously ill. Calling the
priests to attend her without delay, she went into the church,
and confessing her sins to them, caused herself to be anointed
with oil and strengthened with the heavenly viaticum ; be-
seeching God with earnest and diligent prayers that he would
not suffer her to live longer in this troublesome world. Nor
was it very long before her prayers were heard, for three
days after the king's death she was released from the bonds
of the flesh, and translated, as we doubt not, to the joys of
eternal salvation. For while she lived, she devoted herself
to the exercise of piety, justice, peace, and charity ; she was
frequent in prayer, and chastened her body by watchings and
fastings ; she endowed churches and monasteries ; loved and
reverenced the servants and handmaids of God ; broke bread
to the hungr}'-, clothed the naked, gave shelter, food, and
raiment to all the pilgrims who came to her door ; and loved
God with all her heart.^ After her death the Scots elected
for their king, Donald, brother of king Malcolm, and expelled
from Scotland all the English who belonged to the king's
court. Duncan, king Malcolm's son, hearing of these events,
besought king- William, in whose army he then served, to
grant him his father's kingdom, and obtaining his request
swore fealty to him. He then hastened to Scotland, with a
host of English and Normans, and expelling his uncle Donald
reigned in his stead. Thereupon some of the Scots banded
together and slew nearly all his men, a few only escaping
with him. But afterwards they restored him to the throne,
on condition that he should no longer harbour either Eng-

^ Cf. Ordericus Vitalis, vol. ii., p. 11.
2 Ibid, pp. 12, 13.

A.D. 1093, 1094.] William's designs on normaxdy. 197

lishmen or Xonuans in Scotland, and permit them to serve in
liis army.

Xearlv all the bishops of England being assembled, with
Thomas, archbishop of York, the primate, they consecrated
Anselm, abbot of Bee, as archbishop [of Canterbury], on the
day before the nones [the 4th] of December. In the same
year, William, count d'Eu, won over by his greediness of lucre,
and attracted by the promise of vast domains, deserted his
natural lord, Robert, earl of Normandy, to whom he had
sworn fealty, and coming to king William in England, trans-
ferred his allegiance to that powerful seducer.

[a.d. 1094.] On the death of Herfast, who had been a
chaplain to earl William and afterwards to king William, and
in process of time bishop of Thetford, and the deatli also cf
William, his successor, Herbert, surnamed Losing, for his
address in flattery, from being prior of Fecamp and abbot of
Ramsey, became by purchase bishop of Thetford ; and his
father Robert, of the same surname, became intrusive abbot
of Winchester. But he was absolved by penitence from the
errors of hi.s faults ; for going to Rome in n)ore mature years
he there laid down his simoniacal staff and ring, which were
restored to him by the indulgence of that most merciful see.
Returning home, he transferred the seat of his bishopric to a
town celebrated as a i)lace of trade and general resort, called
Norwich, and founded there a convent of monks.

King William went to Hastings, and while there caused the
church of Battle to be dedicated ; and then crossing over to
Normandy had a conference with his brother, under a safe
conduct, but came away without being reconciled to him, and
the earl went to Rouen. The king returned to Eu, and
establishing himself there, took soldiers into his pay from all
quarters, and induced several of the Norman nobles to forfeit
tlieir allegiance to his brother, and place their castles in his
power, some by promises, others by gifts of gold, silver, and
lands; and having secured their consent, he distributed liis
own troops among tlie castles which he already held, or those
which were now made over to him. Meanwhile, he took the
castle of Bures, and sent some of the earl's soldiers who were
taken there j)risoners to England, and contined the rest in
Normandy. Thus he harassed his brother in various ways,
and used his utmost efforts to dej)rive him of his inheritance.

198 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1094, 1095.

The earl, driven to extremity, brought his suzerain, king
Phihp, with a French army into Normandy, who laid siege
to the castle of Argentan, and on the very day he sat down
before it, took seven hundred of the king's knights prisoners,
with as many squires, and the whole garrison of the place,
without loss of blood. He then returned to France, having
given orders that the prisoners should be detained in custody
until they paid their respective ransoms. Earl Robert also
besieged the castle called Holme, until William Peverel and
eight hundred men who defended it surrendered to him.
When the king was informed of this, he sent messengers to
England with orders that twenty thousand foot soldiers should
be levied and despatched to his aid in Normandy. They were
mustered at Hastings, in readiness for crossing the sea, but
Ralph Passe-Flambard, by the king's command, withheld the
pay which had been allotted for their maintenance, at the
rate of ten-pence for each man, and gave them orders to
return to their homes: the money he remitted to the king.
Meanwhile, all England was distressed by heavy and con-
stant taxation, and by a mortality which was very general in
this and the following year.

In addition to this, first the people of North Wales, and
then those of West and South Wales, threw off the yoke of
subjection under which they had long suffered, and rallying
tlieir courage struggled to obtain their independence. As-
sembling in great numbers, they razed the castles which had
been erected in West Wales, and making frequent irruptions
into the counties of Chester, Shrewsbury, and Hereford, set
fire to and plundered the vills, and killed many of the English
and Normans. They also demolished the castle in the Isle of
Man, and reduced the island under their power. Meanwhile,
the Scots perfidiously murdered their king, Duncan, and some
others, at the instigation of Donald, who was again raised to
the throne. After this, king William returned to England,
on the fourth of the calends of January [29th December], and,
leading an army into Wales to subdue the Welsh, lost there
many men and horses.

[a.D. 1095.] Wulfstan, the venerable bishop of the holy
cliurch of Worcester, a man eminent for the excellence of his
life, and devoted from his youth to divine offices, after many
severe and holy struggles, by which he zealously served God

A.D. 1C9j.] death of wulfstan. 199

with great mental devotion and humility, that he might attain
to the glory of the kingdom of heaven, departed this life in
tlie night of Saturday, the eighteenth of January, about the
middle of the seventli hour, and in the year 5299 from the
beginning of the world, according to the undoubted reckoning
of Holy Scripture, in the 529th year of the ninth great cycle,
and the 47Cth of tlie ninth cycle from the beginning of the
vrorld ; in tlie 1084th from the passion of our Lord, but the
lOGOth according to Bede's computation, and the 1061st ac-
cording to Dionysius ; in the 741st^ from the arrival of the
Angles in Britain ; in the 498th from the arrival of St.
Augustine ;"'* in the I0.'3rd from the death of St. Oswald, the
archbishop ;^ in the 302nd of the eleventh great paschal cycle,
and in the 502nd of the tenth from tiie beginning of the
world ; in the 4th of the second solar cycle, in the 3rd of the
bissextile cycle, in the 13th of the second cycle of nineteen
years, in the 10th of the second lunar cycle, in the fifth
endecad, in the third cycle of the indiction, in the eighteenth
lustre of liis own age, and in the 3rd year of the seventh
lustrum of his episcopate."*

In the very hour of his departure he wonderfully appeared
in a vision to a friend whom he had especially loved, llobert,
bishop of Hereford, in the town of Cricklade, and enjoined
him to hasten to Worcester to perform his obsequies. Also,
(iod suffered no man to remove from his finsier the rinq; with
which he had received episcopal consecration, that the holy
man might not appear to forfeit his engagement to his people,
to whom he had often foretold that he would never part with
it during his life, nor even on the day of his burial.

On the day before the nones [the 4th] of April, stars were
seen to fall, as it were, in the heavens. Walter, bishop of
Albano, a legate of the holy Koman cliurch, sent by })ope
Urban, came to England before Easter, bringing the pallium

' It should be the 641st, a.d. 450.

' A.D. 507.

» A n. 9!)2.

* " The above numerous dGterminations of the period of Wulfstan's
death are porliaps to he accounted lor hy the circumstance of his con-
nection with till' monastery to whicli Fh^n nc? himself helonged. Of
some the accuracy is doubtful ; others are manifestly inaccurate.
Wharton, in a note on the subject, says, 'Multiplex in iiisce numeris
error deprehcndi potest.' Auylia Sacra, ii., p. 270." — Thorpe.

200 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1095.

for which king William had sent the preceding year ; and
according to agreement it was laid by him on the altar of St.
Saviour's at Canterbury, from whence it was taken by Anselm
and humbly kissed by all present, in reverence to St. Peter.
Robert, bishop of Hereford, a man of eminent piety, died on
Tuesday the sixth of the calends of July [26th June]. Wulf-
stan, the before-mentioned bishop of Worcester, appeared to
him for the second time in a vision on the thirtieth day after
his departure from the world, and sharply reproved him for
sloth and negligence, admonishing him to apply himself with
the utmost vigilance to the reformation of his own life and of
those he governed ; and he said, that if he did this he might
speedily obtain pardon from Grod for all his sins ; adding that
he would not long fill the see in which he then sat, but if he
would be more zealous, he should feast with him in the pre-
sence of God. For these two were mutually united in the
bonds of exceeding love to Grod and to each other ; and it is,
therefore, natural to think that he who had first departed out
of this life to God, should exhibit his concern for his best
beloved friend whom he had left behind in this world, and
should labour that they might both as soon as possible rejoice
together in the presence of God.

Revolt of the Barons in the North.

Robert de Mowbray, earl of Northumberland, and William
d'Eu, with many others, attempted to deprive king William
of his kingdom and life, and to make Stephen d'Aumale, the
son of his aunt, king in his place, but without success ; for
as soon as the plot was known, the king assembled his army
from every part of England and besieged the castle of the
said earl Robert, which stood at the mouth of the river Tyne,
for two months. During this siege he reduced a small fort,
in which he took nearly all the earl's best soldiers and put
them into confinement ; he then stormed the besieged castle
itself, and committed to close custody the earl's brother, and
the knights he found in it. After this he built a fort before
Beban-byrig, that is, the Burg of queen Bebba,^ where the
earl had sought refuge, and calling it Malvoisin, he placed a

^ Bamborough castle. Cf. the account given by Ordericus Vitalis,
b. viii. c. xxiii. vol. iii,, pp. 19, &c.

A.D. 1095, 1090.] REVOLT IN THE NORTH. 201

garrison in it, and returned to tlie country south of tlie
Huniber. After his departure the wardens of Newcastle
promised earl Robert to "five him admission into the fortress,
if he could come by stealth. Joyfully accepting this proposal,
he set forth one night with thirty troopers to accomplish his
design. On discovering this, the knights who kept guard
against the castle [of Bamborough] went in pursuit and
despatched messengers to inform the garrison of Newcastle of
his departure. In ignorance of these movements, Robert
made liis attempt on Sunday, but the enterprise failed be-
cause it was anticipated. He therefore took refuge in the
monastery of St. Oswin, king and martyr, where, on the
sixth day of the siege, he received a severe wound in the leg
while he was resisting the enemy, of whom many were killed
and many wounded. Of his own men some were wounded,
and all made prisoners ; he himself fled to the chureli,
from which he was drasrsred fortli and delivered into custodv.
Meanwhile, the Welsh demolished the castle of Montgomery,
and killed in it some of the retainers of Hugh earl of Shrews-
bury ; at which the king was so incensed that he issued
orders for an expedition, and after the feast of St. INIichael
led his army into Wales, wliere he lost many men and horses.
Returning thence, he ordered earl Robert to be committed
to Bamborough castle, and his eyes put out unless his
wife and his kinsman, 3Iorcal, surrendered the castle ; and,
compelled by extreme necessity, they yielded to the summons.
The earl was taken to Windsor and j)laced in close confine-
ment, and Morcal disclosed the cause of his treason to the
king.

[a.d. 1090.] William, bishop of Durham, died at Windsor
in the king's court, on Wednesday, being the calends [the
1st] of January, but he was buried at Durham. On the
octave of the Epiphany [13th Jaiuiary] a council was held at
Salisbury, at which the king condemned William d'Eu, who
had been vanquished in a duel, to lose his eyes and to be
emasculated, and the earl's steward, William d'Alderi, the son
of his aunt, and ])rivy to his treason, to be hanged. He also
placed in custody Eudes, count of Champagne, the father of
the aforesaid Stephen, IMiilij), son of Roger, earl of Shrews-
bury ; and some others who were accomplices in the re-
belLiou.

202 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1096.

\_Cou7icil of Clermont, and the Crusade. 1

Pope Urban came into France, and held in Lent a council
at Clermont,^ at which he exhorted the Christians to go to
Jerusalem and subdue the Turks, Saracens, Turvopoles, and
other pagans. At this exhortation, and during the council,
Raymond,^ count of St. Giles, took the cross, and many
others with him, and vowed that they would undertake the
pilgrimage, for God's sake, and accomplish what the pope
had recommended. This being noised abroad, the rest of the
people of Christendom, in Italy, Germany, France, and Eng-
land, vied with each other in preparing to join the expedition.
Their leaders were Adhemar bishop of Puy, the bishop of
Ostia, with many other bishops, Peter the monk, Hugh the
Great, brother of Philip king of France, Godfrey,^ duke of
Lorraine, Stephen, count of Chartres, Robert, earl of Nor-
mandy, Robert, earl of Flanders, the two brothers of duke
Godfrey, Eustace, count of Boulogne, and Baldwin, the
before-named count Raymond, and Bohemond, son of Robert
Guiscard.

Samson was consecrated bishop of Worcester by Anselm,
archbishop of Canterbury, on Sunday the seventeenth of July
[i5th June], at London, in St. Paul's church.

l^Rohert CurtJiose mortgages Normandy to his h'other.^

After this, Robert, earl of Normandy, proposing to join the
crusade to Jerusalem, sent envoys to England, and reqilested
his brother, king William, that, peace being restored between
them, he would lend him ten thousand silver marks, receiving
Normandy in pledge. The king, wishing to grant his request,
called on the great English lords to assist him with money,
each according to his means, as speedily as possible. There-
fore, the bishops, abbots, and abbesses broke up the gold and
silver ornaments of their churches ; and the earls, barons, and

^ It was in the year 1095, and not in Lent, but in the month of
Novembei'jthat pope Urban II. held the celebrated council at Clermont.
He arrived there on the 14th or 15th of that month, opened the
council on the 18th, and closed it on the 28th.

^ Raymond of Tholouse.

^ Godfrey de Bouillon.

A.D. 1097, 1098.] EXPEDITION TO WALES. 203

viscounts robbed their knights and villeins, and brought to
the king a large sum of money. With this he crossed the sea
in the month of September, made peace with his brother,
advanced him six thousand six hundred and sixty-six pounds,
and received from him Normand)' as a security for its repay-
ment.

[a.d. 1097.] William, king of England, returned to Eng-
land during Lent, and after Easter [5th April] he undertook
a second expedition into Wales, with an army of horse and
foot, vowing that he would exterminate the whole male popu-
lation ; but he was scarcely able to take or kill one of them,
while he lost some of his own troops and many horses. After
this he sent Edgar the etheling with an army to Scotland, to
expel his uncle Donald, who had usurped the throne, and
establish his cousin Edgar, son of king Malcohn, king in his
stead.

The Christians took the city of Nice on Saturday the thir-
teenth of the calends of July [1 9th June]. A star called a
comet was visible for fifteen days from the third of the
calends of October [29th September]. Some affirmed that
they saw at that time in the heavens a strange and, as it were,
flaming sign, in the shape of a cross. Soon afterwards a
quarrel took place between the king and Ansel m, archbishop
of Canterbury, because from the time of his being made
archbishop he had not been suffered to hold a synod, nor to
correct the evil practices which had grown up in all parts of
England. He, therefore, crossed the sea, and after sojourning
for a time in France, went to pope Urban at Rome. The
king himself left England for Normandy about the feast of
St. Andrew [30th November]. Baldwin, abbot of the monas-
tery of St. Edmund, who was born in France, a man of
eminent piety and a skilful physician, died in a good old age,
on Tuesday the fourth of the calends of January [29th De-
cember], and lies l)uried in the middle of the choir of the
principal church.

[a.d. 1098.] Walkelin, bishop of Winchester, died on Sun-
day the third of the nones [the .3rd] of January. Also,
Thorold, abbot of Peterborough, and Robert, abbot of West-
uiinster, died. In the summer, king William the younger
l>rought the city of Mans and a great part of that province
under his domiiuon by force of arms.

204 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a D. 1098.

Meanwhile, Hugh, earl of Chester, and Hugh, earl of
Shrewsbury, led troops into the Isle of Anglesey, and mas-
sacred many of the Welsh whom they took in the island, and
put out the eyes of others, having first cut off their hsmds
and feet, and emasculated them. They also dragged from
his church a priest named Kenred, from whom the Welsh
received counsel on their undertakings, and having emascu-
lated him and put out one of his e^ es, they cut off his tongue ;
but on the third day, by the mercy of Grod, his speech was
restored to him. At that time Magnus, king of Norway, son
of king Olaf, who was son of king Harold Harfaagar,^ having
added the Orkney and Menavian islands to his dominions,
sailed there with a small fleet. But when he attempted to
bring his ships to land, Hugh, earl of Shrewsbury, met him
with a large body of men-at-arms on the strand of the sea-
shore, and, as it is reported, fell by an arrow discharged by
the king's own hand on the seventh day after he had treated
the priest just mentioned with such barbarity.

The city of Antioch was taken by the Christians on Wed-
nesday the third of the nones [the 3rd] of June ; where,
after a few days, the spear with which the Saviour of the
world was pierced when hanging on the cross, was discovered
in the church of St. Peter the apostle, by a revelation
from St. Andrew the apostle, the most merciful of saints.
Encouraged by this discovery, the Christians marched out
of the city, carrying it with them, on Monday the fourth
of the calends of July [28th June], and giving battle to the
pagans, put to flight at the point of the sword Curbaran,
commander of the forces of the soldan of Persia, and the
Turks, Arabs, Saracens, Publicans, Azimates, Persians, Agu-
lans, and many other nations ; gaining, by God's aid, a signal
victory, and having slain many thousands of the enemy.

There was an unusual light in the heavens, which shone
during nearly the whole of the night of the fifth of the
calends of October [27th September]. The same year the
bones of the king and martyr Canute were disinterred and
placed in a shrine with great reverence. Roger, duke of

' Magnus IH., king of Norway, was son of Harold Hardraada. For
details of his expeditions to the isles, and particularly of that in which
Hugh earl of Shrewsbury fell, see Odericus Vitalis, b. x. c. vi. and
the notes in pp. 216, &;c. of vol. HI. in the Antiq. Lib.

A.D. 1098, 1099.] COUNCILS AT ROME AND BARI. 20.3

Apulia, having assembled a large army, besieged the city of
(Jai)ua, wiiicli had revolted from his government. Pope
Urban, accompanied, in obedience to his command, by Anselm,
archbishop of Canterbury, went to the council which he had
convened at Bari on the calends [the 1st] of October; in
which council many articles of the Catholic faith were treated
of by the apostolical pope with eloquent reasoning. A ques-
tion being also raised by the Greeks, who endeavoured to
j)rov^e, on evangelical authority, that the Holy Sjiirit proceeds
from the Father alone, Anselm so handled, discussed, and ex-
hausted the subject, that there was no one in the assembly
who did not admit that he was fully satisfied.

[a.d. 1099.] Pope Urban held a great council at Home
in the third week of Easter [10th April], in which some
decrees were justly repealed, and new ones made against the
adversaries of holy church, and the pope, with the unani-
mous agreement of the council, launched a sentence of ex-
conununication against all laymen giving ecclesiastical investi-
tures, and all who received them at their hands, as well as
against those who should consecrate any one for preferment
so given. He also excommunicated all those who did homage
to laymen for any ecclesiastical dignity ; for he said that it
was horrible that hands which had been so highly honoured,
above the ministrations of angels, as to create, by their touch,
God, the Creator of all things, and offer him for the re-
demption and salvation of the whole world before God the
Father, should be debased so low as to be humbly linked in
hands which night and day are polluted by immodest con-
tacts, or defiled by ra|)ine and the unrighteous shedding of
blood. " Fiat, fiat" [Be it so], was the general exclama-
tion ; and so the council ended. After this, the archbishop
proceeded to Lyons.

William the younger returned from Normandy to England,
and held his court at Whitsuntide in London. He there gave
the bishopric of Durham to Ranulph, a man whom he had made
the instrument of his extortions throughout England. Thomas,
archbishop of York, shortly afterwiirds consecrated him there.

Jerusalem was taken by the Turks on Thursday the ides
[the l.Jth] of July. The Christians fouglit a battle with
Amiravis, the connnander of the army and second in power
over the whole kingdom of Babylon, the day before the idea

206 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1099, 1100.

[the 12th] of August, on the same day of the week, and,
through Christ's mercy, obtained the victory. Paschal, a
venerable man, who had been ordained priest by pope Hilde-
brand, was elected pope by the people of Rome on the ides
[the 13th] of August, and was consecrated on the following
day, Sunday the nineteenth of the calends of September [14tli
August]. On the third of the nones [the 3rd] of November,
the sea overflowed the shore, destroying towns, and drowning
many persons, and innumerable oxen and sheep. Osmund,
bishop of Salisbury, died on Friday the third of the nones
[the 3rd] of December.

[a.D. 1100.] Pope Clement, who was also called Guibert,
died. On Sunday the ides [the 15th] of July, the church
which abbot Serlo, of pious memory, had built from the
foundations at Gloucester, was consecrated with great cere-
mony by bishops Samson, of Worcester, Gundulph, of Roches-
ter, Gerard, of Hereford, and Hervey, of Bangor.

[^William Rufus slam.^

On Thursday, the fourth of the nones [the 2nd] of August,
in the eighth indiction, William the younger, king of England,
while hunting in the New Forest, which is called in English
Ytene, was killed by an arrow, carelessly aimed by a French-
man, Walter, surriamed Tirel;^ and being carried to Winches-
ter he was buried in the old minster, in the church of St.
Peter. Nor can it be wondered that, as common report states,
almighty power and vengeance should have been thus dis-
played. For in former times, that is, during the reigns of king
Edward and other kings of England, his predecessors, tins
tract of land was thickly planted with churches and with
inhabitants who were worshippers of God ; but by command
of king William the elder the people were expelled, the
houses half ruined, the churches pulled down, and the land
made an habitation for wild beasts only ; and hence, as it is
believed, arose this mischance. For Richard, the brother of
William the younger, had perished long before in the same
forest, and a short time previously his cousin Richard, the son
of Robert, earl of Normandy, was also killed by an arrow by

' Cf. Ordericus Vitalis, b. x. c, xiv., and the notes, for fuller
details of the eii ciimstances attending the eath of William Rufus,
and the history of Walter Tirel.

A.D. 1100.] RANULPII FLAMBARD. 207

one of his knights, while ho was hunting. A church, built
in the old times, had stood on the spot where the king fell,
but, as we have already said, it was destroyed in the time of
his father.

During the reign of this king, as we have partly mentioned
above, many signs appeared in the sun, moon, and stars ; the
sea often overflowed its banks, drowning men and cattle, and
destroying many vills and houses; in the district of Berkshire,
blood flowed from a fountain for three weeks ; and the devil
frequently appeared in the woods under a horrible form to
many Normans, and discoursed largely to them respecting the
king, and Ranulph, and some otliers. Nor is it to be won-
dered at ; for in their time law was almost silent, and monev
only weighed with the judges in all causes brought before
them. At that time some men obeyed the king's will rather
than justice, and Ranulpii, contrary to ecclesiastical law and the
rules of his order, for lie was a priest, received from the king,
first abbeys, and then bislioprics, wliose holders had recently
died, to let to farm; and thereout he paid the king every year 'a
largo sum of money. His cunning and shrewdness were such,
and in a short time he so grew in the king's favour, that he
appointed him his pleader and collector of toxes throughout
the kingdom.^ Possessed of this immense power, he mulct
some of the wealthier sort in various parts of England of their
goods and lands, while he incessantly iiarassed those who were
in poorer circumstances with unjust taxes. Thus did he on
both high and low in various ways, — both before he was made
a bisho]) and afterwards, — and this up to the time of the king's
death, for on the very day he died he held in his own hands
the archbishopric of Canterbury and the bishoprics of Win-
chester and Salisbury. William the younger reigned thirteen
years, wanting thirty-eight days ; his youngest brother Henry
succeeded liim, and was forthwith crowned at Westminster
by Maurice, bishop of London, on tlie nones [the 5th] of
August. On the day of his consecration he gave freedom to
the church of God, which in his brother's time was jnit up to
sale and let to farm; he discontinued the exaction of the un-

' All the Chronicles dvvrll on tho c-liaracter of this shrowd but un-
principled lawyer. Soo Honry of ]Juntingdon. pp. t33S and 310,
^/(^/r;. ///6.; Ordoricus Vitalis, /6ic/, vol. iii., p. 279; and William of
Malmesbury, ibid, p. 336.

208 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1101.

just dues and oppressive taxes with which the kingdom of
P^ngland was burthened, and firmly established peace in his
dominions, and ordered it to be preserved; he restored the
laws of king Edward to all in common, with such amendments
as his father had made, but he retained in his own hands the
forests which he made and possessed. Not long afterwards
he committed to custody in the Tower of London, Ranulph,
bishop of Durh.am, and recalled Anselm, archbishop of Can-
terbury, from France.

Meanwhile, Robert, earl of Flanders, and Eustace, count of
Boulogne, came back from Jerusalem. Then Robert, earl of
Xormandy, returned to his own country with the wife he had
married in Sicily.^ In the interim, Henry, king of England, con-
voked the great English lords at London, and married Matilda,
daughter of Malcolm, king of Scots, and queen Margaret; and
she was crowned and consecrated queen by Anselm, archbishop
of Canterbury, on the feast of St. Martin, being Sunday.
Thomas, archbishop of York, a man of eminent piety, whose
memory was held in great veneration, and who was affable
and beloved by all, departed this life at York, on Sunday, the
fourteenth of the calends of December [18th November], and
was succeeded by Gerard, bishop of Hereford.

[a.D. 1101.] Ranulph, bishop of Durham, made his escape
fiom prison after Christmas with great address, and crossing
the sea, went to Robert, earl of Normandy, and jDersuaded
him to appear in arms in England.^ Many also of the nobles
of this country sent messengers to him and entreated him
speedily to come over, promising him the crown and kingdom
of England. The city of Gloucester w^as destroyed by fire,
with the principal monastery and others, on Thursday the
eighth of the ides [the 6th] of June.

Expedition of Robert Ciirthose to England.

Robert, earl of Normandy, having raised a large body of
horsemen, archers, and foot soldiers, assembled his ships, called

' It should be Apulia. Robert married Sibylla, daughter of
Geoffrey de Conversana, near Bari, who was nephew of Robert
Guiscard. See Orderic. Vital. ; vol. iii., pp 256, 257. The duchess

SibvUa died much lamented by the Normans, in Lent, 1103 Ibid,

p. 343.

2 Ibid, p. 281, 287.

A.D. 1101] Robert's expedition to England. 209

in the Norman tongue Ultres-port.^ The king, receiving
intelligence of this, ordered his bouts-carles^ to guard the sea,
and to watch that no one approached tlie coast of England
from Normandy ; while he himself, having collected an im-
mense army from every part of England, encamped near
Hastings in Sussex, concluding for certain that his brother
would land in that quarter. The earl, however, by the advice
of bishop Ralph, so tampered with the fidelity of some of the
king's boats-carles, by promises of various kinds, that throwing
otf their allegiance, they deserted to the earl, and became his
pilots to England. All being ready, he embarked with his
army, and about the Feast of St. Peter ad Vincula [1st August]
landed at Portsmouth, and, immediately marching his army
towards Winchester, pitched his camp on a suitable spot.
Immediately that his arrival was known, some of the English
nobles w^ent over to him as they had before promised, others
remained with the king, although in heart they were faithless
to him. The bishops, however, with the common soldiers
and English people, stood by him resolutely, and were ready to
a man to be led to battle for his cause. But the wiser men on
both sides, agreeing in sound counsels, mediated a peace be-
tween the brothers, on the terms that the king should pay to
the earl yearly three thousand marks, that is tw^o thousand
pounds in silver, and should freely restore their former do-
mains in England to all who had forfeited them by their
adherence to the earl ; and that the earl should reinstate in
their possessions in Normandy, without cost, all who had been
deprived of them on the king's account. Peace being restored,
the king disbanded his army, and part of the earl's troops
returned to Normandy, and part remained with him in
England.

Godfrey, king of Jerusalem, who was before the powerful
duke of TiOrraine, son of Eustace the Elder, count of
IJoulogne, departed this life and lies buried in the church of
Golgotlia.^ After his death the Christians unanimously

' Tr(''port.

* Butse-carles: [An;;. Sax. butse, or bates-carles, from hat, a boat,
and carl, or ceorl ;] the boatmen of the Cinque-ports, and other
harbours in the channel. Our author snbseijuently usrs the phrase
for mariners generally, the boats-carles being pre3?«ed or enlisted into
the kin^^'s naval servicre.

^ The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, at Jerusalem.

P

210 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1101, 1102.

elected his brother, Baldwin, king. Eobert de Belesme, earl
of Shrewsbury, son of earl Koger, began to repair and sur-
round with a broad and lofty wall (as the issue proved, to
oppose king Henry) the castle which Ethelfeda, lady of the
Mercians, had formerly built in the reign of her brother
Edward the Elder, at a place called in the Saxon tongue
Brycge [Bridgnorth], on the west bank of the river Severn.
He also commenced building another castle in Wales at a
place called Caroclove.

[^Robert de Belesme s B,ebellion.~\

[a.D. 1102.] The before-mentioned Robert, earl of Belesme,
who was then master of the county of Ponthieu also, and
possessed a great number of castles in Normandy, strongly
fortified against king Henry the town of Shrewsbury and the
castle which stands in it ; and also the castles of Arundel and
Tickhill, supplying them with provisions, engines, and arms,
and stationing in them knights and foot-soldiers. He also
hastened, by all the means in his power, the completion of the
walls and towers of the castles of Brycge and Caroclove,
havino: the works carried on night and day. Moreover, in
order to rouse his Welsh vassals to a ready, faithful, and
willing submission to his orders, he bestowed on them
liberally lordships and lands, horses and arms, and all kinds of
largesses. But his plans and operations were speedily cut
short, for his plots and designs being made manifest by sure
evidence, the king proclaimed him a traitor. Thereupon,
having quickly assembled all the Welshmen and Normans
he could collect, he and his brother Arnulph ravaged part of
Staffordshire, and carried off into Wales many horses and
cattle, and some few men. The king, without delay, besieged
first his castle of Arundel, and having built forts against it,
retired. He then ordered Robert, bishop of Lincoln, with
part of his troops to lay siege to Tickhill, while he himself, with
nearly the whole military force of England, sat down before
Bridgnorth, and began to construct machines and erect a strong
fort before it. Meanwhile, by moderate bribes he easily in-
duced the Welsh, in whom Robert placed great confidence, to
break the oaths they had sworn to him, and utterly desert him
and turn their arms against him. The town [of Shrewsbury]

A.D. 1102.] ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS. 211

and all the castles having been surrendered within thirty days,
he reduced his enemy Robert to submit, and drove him from
England in disgrace : his brother Arnulph was shortly after-
wards condemned to a similar fate for his treason.^

[A Synod held at London.^

After this the king was in London on the Feast of St.
Michael, at his palace of Westminster, with all the great men
of his realm of both orders, spiritual and temporal, where he
invested two of the clergy with bishoprics, namely, Roger, the
chancellor, with the see of Salisbury, and Roger, his larder er,
with that of Hereford. There, also, Anselm, the archbishop,
held a great synod on ecclesiastical affairs, at which were
present Gerard, archbishop of York, Maurice, bishop of Lon-
don, William, bishop-elect of Winchester, Robert, bishop of
Lincoln, Samson of Worcester, Robert of Chester, John of
Bath, Herbert of Norwich, Ralph of Chichester, Gundulph ot
Rochester, Hervey of Bangor, and the two newly-invested
bisliops, Roger of Salisbury, and Roger of Hereford.
Osbern, bishop of Exeter, could not attend, being detained by
sickness. In this synod, several abbots, both Frenchmen and
English, were deposed, and deprived of the preferments which
they had obtained unfairly, or in which they lived disreputably;
namely, Guy, abbot of Pershore, Aldwin, abbot of Ramsey,
and the abbot of Tavistock, Haimon, abbot of Cerne, and the
abbot of Michelney, Ethelric, abbot of Middleton, Goodric of
Peterborough, Richard of Ely, and Robert of St. Edmund's.
Roger, the before-mentioned bishop-elect of Hereford, was
taken ill at London and died ; and Reignclm, the queen's
chancellor, was substituted for him by a like investiture.
Henry, king of England, gave Mary, the queen's sister, in
marriage to Eustace, count of Boulogne.

[The King and Archbishop's quarrel about Investitures.^

[a.d. 1103.] There was a violent dispute between kin^
Henry and archbishop Anselm; the archbishop being opposed
to the king's conferring investitures of ecclesiastical prcfer-

' See fuller details of the revolt of Robert de Belesme, and king
Henry's successful campai'^n airainst him, in B. xi. c. iii. of Ordericus
Vitalis. Vol. iii. p. 331, &c. in the Antiq. Lib.

p2

212 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1103, 1104.

ments, and refusing either to consecrate or communicate with
those to whom the king had already given churches ; because
the apostolical pope had forbidden this to him and all others.
In consequence, the king commanded Gerard, the archbishop
of York, to consecrate the bishops to whom he had given in-
vestitures, namely, William GifFard, and Eoger, who had been
his chaplain, and was now preferred to the bishopric of
Salisbury. Gerard was willing to comply with the king's
command, but William, in deference to the canons, made light
of both that and archbishop Gerard's consecration. Where-
fore the king sentenced him to forfeit all he had, and he
was banished the realm : the others remained unconsecrated.
Shortly before this, Reignelm had surrendered the bishopric
of Hereford to the king, believing that he had offended God .
because he had accepted the investiture of a church from the
hands of a layman.

The king held his court during Easter at Winchester.
Anselm, the archbishop, after the many injuries and slights
he had endured, at the king's request set out for Rome on the
fifth of the calends of May [27th April], as it had been settled
between him and the king ; being accompanied by William,
bishop-elect of Winchester, and the deposed abbots, Richard
of Ely and Aldwin of Ramsey.

Robert, earl of Normandy, came into England to confer
with his brother, and before he returned released him from
the annual pension of three thousand silver marks, which the
king was bound to pay him yearly according to their agree-
ment.^ Blood was seen by many persons to flow from the
ground at a place called Heamstede in Berkshire. In the
same year, on the third of the ides [the 3rd] of August, there
was a violent storm of wind, which did more damage to the
fruits of the earth in England than men then living had ever
witnessed in former times.

[a.D. 1104.] Two venerable abbots died, — Walter of
Evesham, on the thirteenth of the calends of February
[20th January], and Serlo of Gloucester, on the fourth of
the nones [the 4th] of March. Henry, king of England, held
his court at Westminster during Whitsuntide. On Tuesday
the seventh of the ides [the 7th] of June, about the sixth

^ According to Malmesbury, Robert resigned his pension at the
instance of the queen, as the price of his liberty.

A.D. 1104-6.] RELICS OF ST. CUTHBERT. 213

hour, four circles of a white colour were seen round the sun,
one under the other, as in a painting. All who observed it
marvelled, such appearances having been never before seen
by any of them. William, earl of Morton, was disinherited
of all his English domains. It would be difficult to describe
the miseries which the land of England sutiered at that time
from the king's exactions.

The body of St. Cuthbert, the bishop, was exposed to
view while Ilanulj)h was bishop, and was clearly found to be
uncorrupted, as well as the head of St. Oswald, king and
martyr, and the relics of St. Bede and other saints, by lialph,
abbot of Seez,^ afterwards bishop of Rochester, and the
monks of Durham, in the presence of earl Alexander, the
brother of Edgar, king of Scots, and afterwards king himself.
Having been permitted to assist on so sacred an occasion, he
caused a shrine to be made at the cost of many gold and
silver marks, in which the sacred body was deposited, wrapped
in new vestments.

{The King invades Normandy. ~\

[a.d. 1105.] Henry, king of England, crossed the sea,
and on his arrival nearly all the Norman barons deserted the
earl, their lord, whom they despised, and flocked to the king
for the gold and silver which he brought over with him,
putting their castles and fortified cities and towns into his
hands. After having burnt Bayeux, with the church of
St. Mary there, and taken Caen from his brother, he returned
to P^ngland, finding it was not in his power at that time to
make himself master of the whole of Normandy, and intend-
ing to return the ensuing year and subdue the remainder, to
the disinheritance of his brother. William, earl of Morton, in
revenge for the loss of his English domains, did all the mis-
chief he could to the king's vassals and possessions.

[a.d. 1106.] Robert, earl of Normandy, came over to

' Ralph d' Escures, bishop of St. Martin, at Seez, being driven out
of Normandy by the persecutions of Robert de Belt'srae, took refuf^e
in England, and was appointed bishop of Rochostc^r, llth Auj^ust, 1 lOS,
raised to the see of Canterbury the 2fith April, 1114, and di( d the 20th
October, 1122. See Urdcric. Vital., vol. ii. p. 4G5, and vol. iii. p. 34'J.

214 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1106.

England to have a conference with his brother Henry, and
met him at Northampton/ Then the earl begged him to
restore what he had taken from him in Normandy ; but the
king gave a flat refusal to all his demands, and the earl left
him in great wrath and recrossed the sea.

On Friday, in the first week of Lent, the fourteenth of the
calends of March [16th February], in the evening, a strange
star was visible between the south and west, and shone for
twenty-five days in the same form and at the same hour. It
appeared small and dim, but the light which issued from it
was exceedingly clear ; and flashes of light, like bright beams,
darted into the star itself from the east and north. Many
aflSrmed that they saw several strange stars at that time. On
the night of Holy Thursday, shortly before daybreak, two
moons were visible, one in the east, the other in the west ;
and both were full, the moon being then fourteen days old.
In this year a most execrable quarrel took place between the
emperor of Germany and his son.

[The Battle of Tinchehrai.']

Henry, king of England, crossed the sea before the month
of August, proceeding to Normandy ; and nearly all the
principal Normans submitted to him, except Robert de
Belesme, William de Morton, and a few others, who main-
tained their allegiance to earl Robert. On the assumption of
St. Mary [15th August], king Henry came to Bee, where he
had a meeting with Anselm, the archbishop, and they came
to terms of peace and concord on all the matters on which
they had differed. Soon afterwards, the archbishop, by the
command and at the request of the king, returned to England.
The king, having assembled an army, marched to a castle
belonging to the earl of Morton, called Tinchebrai, and laid
siege to it. While the king was detained before the place
his brother Robert fell upon him at the head of his army, on
the eve of St. Michael, having with him Robert de Belesme
and William, earl of Morton ; but right and victory were on

' Cf. Henry of Huntingdon, p. 242. This interview, at which
Robert threw himself in vain at the feet of the author of his misfor-
tunes, is described with simple pathos by John Brompton.

A.D. HOG, 1107.] ROBERT CURTHOSE, PRISONER. 215

the king's side.^ Robert, earl of Normandy, William, earl of
Morton, and Robert d'Estoteville were taken prisoners in the
battle; but Robert de Relesme escaped by flight. William
Crispin was also captured, and many others, at the same
time. Affairs having taken this turn, the king brought all
Normandy to submission and governed it according to his
will ; intelligence of which he communicated by letters to
arelibishop Anselm.

[a.d. 1107.] Edgar, king of the Scots, died on the eighth
of the ides [the 6th] of January, and was succeeded by his
brother Alexander. Peace having l)een established in Nor-
mandy under the king's go\ernraent, and Robert, duke of
Normandy, and AVilliam, earl of Morton, having been sent
forward to England in custody, the king himself returned to
his kingdom before Easter [14th April].

[A Council at London respecting Investitures.^

On the calends [the 1st] of August, a great council of all
the bishops, abbots, and barons of the realm was held in the
royal palace at London ; and for three days, in the absence
of archbishop Anselm, the subject of ecclesiajstical investitures
was fully discussed between the king and the bishops. Some
of them strove to persuade him to follow the practice of his
father and brother, and disregard the decree of the apostolic
see ; for pope Paschal, adhering strictly to the decision pro-
nounced, had coincided with pope Urban on all points, and,
like him, had interdicted [ky] investitures, and thus the king
was brovght to agree with him on the matter. Afterwards,
when Anselm was present, the king publicly allowed and or-
dained that from thenceforth no person should ever be invested
in any bishopric or abbey in England by receiving the pastoral
staff or ring at the hands of the king or any layman ; Anselm,
on his j)art, conceding that no one elected to the prelacy
should be refused consecration to his office on account of his
having done homage to the king for it. Gerard, archbishop
of York, phicing his hand in that of Anselm, according to his

' With all the faults of Robert Curthose, it cannot be said that
ri;j;ht was on Henry's side. For further details of his previous expe-
dition into Normandy and the battle of Tinchobrai, see Henry of
Huntin^'don, p. 242, and Orderic. Vital, vol. iii. pp. 371, 375—381.

216 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1107, 1108.

desire, solemnly promiised that he would manifest to him and
his successors in the archbishopric the same submission and
obedience which the bishop-elect of Hereford had promised
to himself before his consecration.

The following bishops-elect, namely, William of Winchester,
Roger of Salisbury, Reignelm of Hereford, William of Exeter,
and Urban of Glamorgan,^ in Wales, came to Canterbury at
the same time, and were consecrated together by archbishop
Anselm, on Sunday, the third of the ides [the 2nd] of
August ; the suffragan bishops of his see, namely, Gerard,
archbishop of York, Robert, bishop of Lincoln, John of Bath.
Herbert of Norwich, Robert of Chester, Ralph of Chichester,
and Ranulph of Durham, all assisting in the office of consecra-
tion. There was certainly no person then living who had
any remembrance of the election and consecration at one
time of so many bishops in England, at any former period
since the reign of Edward the Elder, when archbishop Pleg-
mund ordained seven bishops to seven churches in one day.^
In this present year died Maurice, bishop of London, Richard,
abbot of Ely, Robert, abbot of St. Edmundsbury, Miles
Crispin, Robert Eitz-Hamon, Robert Bigod, and Richard de
Red vers, who were all of the king's council.

[a.D. 1108.] Gundulph, bishop of Rochester, died on the
nones [the 7th] of March. Henry, king of England, in order
to preserve the peace strictly, made a law that any man taken
in the act of thieving or robbing should be hanged. He also
put down base and counterfeit coin under the severest pe-
nalties, enacting that no person detected in making false
money should be allowed to compound for their offence
without losing their eyes and mutilation of their lower limbs.
And since it frequently happened that the current pennies
w^ere so bent and broken that they were refused, he enacted
that no penny or halfpenny, — which he also directed should
be round, — nor even a farthing [should be taken] unless it
were perfect. Great benefit resulted to the whole kingdom
from this enactment ; and thus the king dealt with secular
affairs, to the relief of the sufferings of the country. Gerard,

1 Llandaff.

2 Neither the Saxon Chronicle nor William of Malmesbury record
this fact. Plegmoud was archbishop of Canterbury from S90
to 923.

A. D. 1108.] COXCCRNING P^IESTS' WIVES. 217

archbishop of York, died, and Thomas, the cousin of his pre-
decessor Thomas, succeeded him.

DECREES OF A SYNOD HELD AT LONDON.

In the year of our Lord, 1108, the following decrees were
made concerning priests, deacons, subdeacons, and canons of
every order, by Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, together
with Thomas, archbishop-elect of York, and all the bishops of
England, in the presence of the glorious king Henry, and
with the assent of his barons : —

" It is DECREED that priests, deacons, and subdeacons,
shall live chastely, and shall not have any women in their
houses, except such as are of the nearest kindred, according
to the rule of the holy council of Nice. Those priests,
deacons, or subdeacons who, after the prohibition of the
synod of London, have retained their wives, or taken others,
it" they choose to continue to celebrate mass, are to so put
them away that neither the women are to come to their
houses, nor they to the houses of the women ; they are, also,
never to meet by appointment in any other house, nor are
such women to reside on the lands of the church ; and if it
be necessary for any lawful purpose to hold converse with
them, let them meet out of doors, in the presence of two
credible witnesses.

" If any clerk be charged with the violation of this statute,
on the testimony of two or three lawful witnesses, or the
common report of his parishioners, he shall purge himself by
the oaths of credible witnesses of his own order, in addition to
his own ; namely, by six, if he be a priest ; by four, if he be a
deacon, and by two, if he be a subdeacon. He who makes
dijfault in so clearing himself, shall be adjudged a transgressor
of the sacred canons.

" Those priests who, without reverence for God's altar and
their own holy orders, shall choose to live with women, are to
be excluded from the ])erformance of divine offices, to be
d<?prived of all ecclesiastical benefices, have their stations out-
side the choir, and be declared infamous.

" Whosoever shall wilfully and contumaciously retain his
wife, and yet presume to perform mass, shall be summoned

218 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1108, 1109.

to answer, and on his neglect to appear for eight days, shall
be excommunicated. ^

" This decree applies to all archdeacons and canons, both
as far as regards parting with their wives, avoiding any con-
nection with them, and the penalties imposed if the rules be
transgressed.

"All archdeacons shall swear that they will not receive
money for allowing the infraction of this decree, nor suff'er
priests who, to their knowledge keep their wives, to sing
mass or appoint vicars in their stead. Deans shall do the same.

" Every archdeacon or dean who shall refuse to take this
oath, shall be deprived of his archdeaconry or deanery.

" Priests who shall make their election to put away their
wives, and serve God and his holy altars, shall suspend their
functions for ten days, during which they shall appoint vicars
to perform them, and shall do such penance as their bishops
shall see fit to enjoin."

Philip, king of France, died, and was succeeded by his son
Lewis.-^ Henry, king of England, crossed the sea. Anselm,
the archbishop, at the king's request, consecrated Richard
bishop-elect of London, in his chapel at Peckham ; William,
bishop of Winchester, Poger, bishop of Salisbury, Ralph,
bishop of Chichester, and William, bishop of Exeter, assisting
at the ceremony, and the bishop-elect having first made the
usual professions of obedience and submission. After this
he went to Canterbury, and consecrated Ralph, abbot of
Seez, a devout man,^ to the church at Rochester, on the third
of the ides [the 11th] of August, in place of Gundulph ; Wil-
liam, bishop of Winchester, Ralph, bishop of Chichester, and
Richard, bishop of London, assisting him. This Richard,
following the customs of his predecessors, made a noble offer-
ing the same day to the mother-church of Canterbury.

[a.d, 1109.] Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, died there
on Wednesday, the eleventh of the calends of May [21st

' Louis-le-Gros succeeded Philip, the 3rd August, 1108. See
Ordericus Vitalis, vol. iii. pp. 355 and 424, Antiq. Lib., and the char-
acter of these princes given by Henry of Huntingdon, in his " Letter
to Walter," ibid., p. 313,

^ See the note in p. 213. Ordericus Vitalis calls the abbot, who
was his neighbour in Normandy, '* a cheerful,, facetious, and amiable
person."

A. D. 1109-11.] DEATH OF AXSELM. 219

April], and was buried with great honours on the following
day, being Holy Thursday. Henry, king of England, re-
turned to England about the Rogation days, and held his
court during Whitsuntide [13th June] at Westmister.
Thomas, archbishop-elect of York, was consecrated at London
on the oth of the calends of July [27th June] by Richard,
bishop of London, and afterwards received at York, on
Sunday, the calends [the 1st] of August, the pallium sent
him by cardinal Ulric. The same day he consecrated Turgot,
prior of Durham, to the bishopric of St. Andrew's, in Scot-
land, which is called Cenrimunt. In the same year the
king converted the abbey of Ely into an episcopal see, and
appointed Hervey, bishop of Ely, to govern that church. A
comet was seen about the milky way in the month of De-
cember, its tail extending towards the northern quarter of the
heavens.

[a.d. 1110.] Henry, king of England, gave his daughter
Matilda in marriage to Henry, king [emperor] of Germany.
The same year many extraordinary things were witnessed
throughout England. At Shrewsbury there was a great
earthquake. At Nottingham the river Trent was dried up for
the length of a mile, from daybreak to the third hour, so that
men walked dry-shod in its channel. A comet made its
appearance on the sixth of the ides [the 8th] of June and
continued visible for three weeks.

[a.d. 1111.] Henry, king of Germany, came to Rome, and
laying hands on ])ope Paschal, put him in confinement ; but
afterwards made peace with hiui at the bridge on the Via
Salaria, and they celebrated the feast of Easter on the Field
[of Mars].

THESE ARE THE TERMS OF THE PEACE MADE BETWEEN THE KING
AND OUR LORD THE POl'E J AND THIS IS THE FOU^I OF THE
kino's OATH.

" I, Henry, will set free, on Thursday or Friday next, the
li)rd pope and the bishops and cardinals; and to all the
prisoners and hostages who have been taken for him or witii
him I will give a safe conduct within the walls of the
Transteverine city. I will never again take, or permit to be
taken, those wlio remain in allegiance to the lord the pope
Paschal; and for myaeli" and mine, 1 will keep peace and quiet

220 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1111.

with the Roman people, both of the Transteverine city and of
that within the island, as concerns their persons and goods,
provided they observe peace towards me. I will faithfully
succour our lord pope Paschal in maintaining his right to the
papacy in peace and security. I will restore the patrimony
and possessions of the Roman church, which I have taken
away, and I will faithfully aid her in recovering all that she
ought to possess, as my predecessors have done. I will obey
our lord pope Paschal, saving the rights of my crown and
empire, in the same manner that catholic emperors have
obeyed catholic popes of Rome. All these things I will
observe faithfully, without fraud or covin.

" These are the jurors on the part of the king : — Frederick,
archbishop of Cologne, Gebhard, bishop of Trent, Burchard,
bishop of Munster, Bruno, bishop of Spires, Albert, chancellor,
count Herman, Frederick, count palatine, count Berenger,
count Frederick, marquis Boniface, Albert, count de Blandrai,
count Frederick,^ count Godfrey, marquis Warnerio."

THE SECOND CONVENTION MADE BETWEEN THE POPE AND THE KING.

" Our lord pope Paschal, the one hundred and fifty-sixth
pope, agrees to grant to king Henry and his kingdom, and
Avill ratify and confirm it, under pain of excommunication, by
his apostolical privilege, that when a bishop or abbot is freely
elected, without simony, and with the royal licence, it shall be
lawful for my lord the king to invest him with the ring and
staff. And the bishop or abbot so invested by the king shall
freely receive consecration from the bishop to whom the right
pertains. But if any person be elected by the clergy and
people, unless he also receives investiture from the king, he
shall not be consecrated ; and archbishops and bishops shall
be allowed to consecrate those (only) who have received in-
vestiture from the king. In respect of these things, the lord
the pope Paschal shall not disquiet king Henry, his kingdom
and empire."

THIS IS THE OATH ON THE PART OF THE POPE.

" Our lord pope Paschal shall not molest my lord king

' We follow the text of the E. H. Society in inserting two counts
Frederick in this list, besides the count palatine. In the copy of the
document given by William of Malmesbury we find only one.

A.D. 1111.] EMPEROR IIENRT AND POPE PASCHAL. 221

Henry, nor his empire and kingdom, concerning the investiture
of bishoprics and abbeys, nor for any injuries done to liiraself
and his people, nor shall he do any evil to him or any other
person on that account. Especially, he shall never pronounce
any sentence of excommunication against the person of king
Henry, nor shall the lord pope retain the power of refusing to
crown him, according to the form in tiie ordinal. And he
shall aid him to the best of his power, by the authority of his
office, to maintain himself in his kingdom and empire. All
this tiie lord pope will perform without fraud or covin."

These are the names of the bishops and cardinals, who, by
the command of our lord pope Paschal, have ratified by their
oaths the bull of privileges and the alliance made with the
lord emperor Henry : Peter, bishop of Porto, Censius, bishop
of Sabinum, Robert, cardinal of St. Eusebius, Boniface,
cardinal of St. Mark, Anastasius, cardinal of St. Clement,
Gregory, cardinal of SS. Peter and Paul, the apostles ; also,
Gregory, cardinal of St. Chrysogonus, John, cardinal of St.
Potentiana, Risus, cardinal of St. Lawrence, Rainier, cardinal
of SS. Marcellinus and Peter, Vitalis, cardinal of St. Bal-
bina, Duuzo, cardinal of St. Martin, Theobald, cardinal of SS.
John and Paul, John, deacon of St. Mary-in-Schola Grjecn.^

THIS IS THE BULL OF PRIVILEGES GRANTED BY TIIE LORD POPE TO THE
EMl'KROR, CONCERNING THE INVESTITURES OF BISHOPRICS.

"Paschal, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to his
most beloved son in Christ, Henry, king of the Germans, and,
by the grace of God, emperor of the Romans, health and the
apostolical benediction.

" Divine Providence has so ordered that there is a singular
union between your kingdom and the holy Roman church.
Your predecessors, by virtue of their suj^erior worth and
j)rudence, obtained the Roman crown and imperial dignity ; to
which, dearest son Henry, the Divine Majesty has advanced
you by the ministry of our priestly office. The prerogatives,
therefore, of that dignity, which my predecessors have granted
to the catholic emperors, your predecessors, and have con-

' This church is so called from a tradition that St. Augustine
tauj^ht rhetoric thc-re before Iiis conversion. Williuin of IMahnesbury
adds to this list tlie names of " Leo, dean of St. Vitalis, and Albo, deau
of SS. Rof^ius and Bacchius," and for cardinal of St. Martin, reails
cardinal of St. Mark.

222 'FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1111.

firmed by bulls of privileges, we also grant to you, beloved,
and confirm by this present instrument ; to wit, that it shall be
lawful for you to confer investitures, by staft* and ring, on the
bishops and abbots of your realm, freely elected without com-
pulsion or simony ; and that after their investitures they may
receive canonical consecration from the bishop to whom it
appertains. If any one, however, be elected by the people
and clergy, but without your assent, unless he receives in-
vestiture from you, let him not be consecrated. Let arch-
bishops and bishops have licence from you to give canonical
consecration to bishops and abbots who have received your
investiture. For your predecessors have so amply endowed
the churches of your realm from their royal domains, that it
is very expedient that the possessions of the bishops and
abbots should contribute to the defence of the kingdom, and
that the popular tumults which often occur in elections should
be put down by the royal power. Wherefore, it is your duty,
in the exercise of your prudence and authority, that, by the
help of Grod, the pre-eminence of the Roman church, and the
welfare of all, be guarded by your beneficial acts and services.
If any person, ecclesiastical or secular, shall rashly attempt to
pervert the sense of this our grant, let him be excommunicated,
unless he repent ; and, moreover, incur the peril of losing his
office and dignity; and may the Divine mercy protect
those who observe it, and grant you a happy reign, both in
your person and in your power, to his honour and glory."

With these conventions and oaths, peace was concluded
between the lord pope and the king, during the feast of
Easter. Then the king made his entrance into Rome on the
ides [the 13th] of April, and the pope, having celebrated
mass in the church of St. Peter, consecrated him emperor,^
gave him and his followers absolution, and pardoned them for
all the injuries he had received at their hands.

[J. Colony of Flemings settled in South Wales.']

Henry, king of England, removed into Wales all the
Flemings who were living in Northumbria, with their chattels,

^ William of Malmesbury states, that the pope and emperor met on
Sunday, the 4th before the ides of April, and gives details of the
ceremonies which followed.

A. D. 1111, 1112.] RESPECTING INVESTITURES. 223

and made them settle in the district called Rhos.^ The king
al.<io connnanded that tlie new monastery, which stood within
the walls of Winchester, should, under the direction of
William, bishop of Winchester, be built without the walls; and
soon afterwards crossed the sea. In this year there was a
very severe winter, a grievous famine, a great mortality, a
murrain among animals, both wild and domestic, and vast
numbers of birds also perished.

ACTS OF THE LATERAN COUNCIL AGAINST THE HERESY
RESPECTING INVESTITURES.

[a.d. 1112.] In the thirteenth year of the pontificate of
pope Paschal II., the fifth indiction, in the month of March,
the fifteenth of the calends of April [18th March], the
Lateran Council was held at Rome, in the basilica of Constan-
tino. In this council the pope, having taken his seat, with
the archbishops, bishops, and cardinals, and a mixed multitude
of the clergy and laity, on the last day of the assembly, he
made a profession of the catholic faith in the presence of all,
in order that none might doubt of his belief, saying : —
" I embrace all Holy Scripture, namely, the Old and Xew
Testament, the law written by Moses and the holy prophets.
I embrace the four gospels, the seven canonical epistles, the
epistles of the glorious doctor, St. Paul the apostle, the holy
apostolic canons, the four general councils, like the four
gospels, namely the councils of Nice, Ephesus, Constantinople,
and Chalcedon ; the council of Antioch, and the decrees of
the holy fathers, popes of Rome, especially the decrees of the
lord pope Gregory VII., and of poj)e Urban of blessed

' Henry I., as well as his father, the Conqueror, out of respect to
queen Matilda, (lau2;hter of Baldwin, earl of Flanders, gave an asylum
to a ;^reat number of Fleminj^s, compelled by inundations to seek new
habitations. They were first settled in the north of Eni:;la!ul, but
afterwards removed into a district of Pembrokeshire, then and still
called Roos. The colony consisted almost entirely of persons of the
lower clasSjSoldiers, artificers, and manufacturers; and the country they
occupied seems to have been the cradle of the woollen manufactory still
carried on in the neii^hbouring districts, in a most primitive fashion,
the numerous streams afrordin;^: sit<'S for fullini^-mills The settlers
•were probably accompanied by Enn^lish, or had actpiircMl that lanjjfuajj^e,
which from tliat period has exclusively prevailed in that paVt of South
AN'ales; the barrier line between the Welsliry and Kn<^lishry being still
preserved, a brook or a footpath often separating the langu iges.

224 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1112.

memory. What they approved, I approve ; what they held,
I hold ; what they confirmed, I confirm ; what they con-
demned, I condemn ; what they rejected, I reject ; what they
interdicted, I interdict ; what they prohibited, I prohibit, in
all and through all : and in this faith I will always persevere. "

When he had finished, Gerard, bishop of Angouleme, legate
in Aquitaine, rose in the name of all, and by the common con-
sent of the lord pope Paschal and the whole council, read this
instrument : —

*' All we assembled in this holy council, with the lord pope,
do condemn, with canonical censures by our ecclesiastical
authority and the sentence of the Holy Ghost, that act of
privilege which is no privilege, but ought rather to be
called a breach of privilege,^ that act, namely, which was
extorted by the violence of king Henry from our lord pope
Paschal for the liberation of the prisoners and of the church ;
and we adjudge it to be null and void, and altogether quash
it, and utterly repudiate it as possessing no authority or force ;
and it is condemned for this that it contains a provision that
one canonically elected by the clergy and people may not be
consecrated unless he shall have first received investiture from
the king ; which is in opposition to the Holy Spirit and the
canonical institutions.''

When the reading of this instrument was finished, it was
approved by the whole council with the acclamation, " Amen,
Amen! Piat, fiat!" [Be it so]. The archbishops who were
present with their suffragans were these : — John, patriarch of
Venice, Semies of Capua, Landulph of Benevento ; and those
of Amalfi, Reggio, Otranto, Brindisi, Capua, and Gyrontium ;
of the Greeks, there were Risano and the archbishop of San
Severino ; the bishops present were, Censius of Savona, Peter
of Porto, Leo of Ostia, Cono of Praeneste, Gerard of
Angouleme, Walo of Lyons, legate for the archbishops of
Bourges and Yienne, Roger of Volterra, Geoffrey of Sienna,
Roland of Populonia [Pisa], Gregory of Terracina, William
of Troga [in Naples], Gibin of Syracuse, legate for the whole
of Sicily ; and nearly one hundred other bishops. Bishops
Siguin and John of Tusculum [Frascati], although they were
at Rome at the time, were not present at the council ; but

1 « Privilegium illud quod non est privilegium, sed vere debet dici
pravUegium."

A.D. 1112 — 14.] WORCESTER BURNT. 225

having afterwards read the condemnation of the act of privi-
lege, they accepted and approved it.

Samson, the twenty-tiftli bishop of Worcester, died on
Sunday, the third of the nones [the 9th] of May. Henry,
king of England, placed Robert de Belesme in confinement, at
Carisbrook, in the month of October.

[a.d. 1113.] The city of Worcester, with the cathedral
church, and all the other churches, and the castle, was de-
stroyed by fire on Tliursday, the thirteenth of tl)e calends of
July [19th June]. One of the monks, who had rendered
great services to the monastery, with two of his servants, and
fifteen citizens, perished in the flames. Henry, king of Eng-
land, returned to England in the month of July, and com-
mitted Robert de Belesme, who had been brought over from
[Normandy, to the closest confinement at Wareham. Two
high-born monks of the monastery of St. Mary, in Worcester,
men of exalted worth, Thomas, the lord prior, and Coleman,
both departed this life on Saturday, the fourth of the nones
[the 4th] of October.

Together summoned from this mortal state
To realms above, they met a common fate :
There, with the saints, in never ending joy,
God give them rest, and peace without alloy !

Theowulf, the king's chaplain, was appointed bishop of
Worcester on Sunday, the fifth of the calends of January
[28th December], at Windsor.

[a.d. 1114.] Matilda, daughter of Henry, king of Eng-
land, was married to Henry, emperor of the Romans, and
crowned as empress at Mentz, on the eighth of the ides [the
6th] of January. Thomas, archbishop of York, died on
Tuesday, tlie sixth of the calends of March [24th February].
Ralph, bishop of Rochester, was chosen archbishop of Canter-
bury at Windsor, on Sunday, the sixth of the calends of Ma}^
[2Gtlj April]. The city of Chichester, with the principal
monastery, was burnt, through negligence^ on the 3rd of the
nones [the 5th] of May. Thurstan, a chaplain of the king's,
was preferred at Winchester to tiie archbishopric of York, on
the feast of the Assumption of St. Mary [15th August].
Arnulph, abbot of Peterborough, was elected bisliop of Ro-
chester. Henry, king of England, after undertaking an

Si

226 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1114, 1115.

expedition into Wales, crossed the sea before the feast of St.
Michael. The river Medway became so shallow, for many
miles, on the sixth of the ides [the 10th] of October, that
the smallest vessels got aground in it for want of water. The
Thames was subject to the same failure on that day, for
between the bridge and the Royal Tower, even under the
bridge, the water in the river was so low, that not only
horses, but even crowds of men and boys forded it, the water
scarcely reaching to their knees. The water was thus shallow
from the middle of the preceding night until it was quite
dark on the night following. We have heard from trust-
worthy reports that the waters receded in like manner on the
same day at Yarmouth, and other places in England.^

[a.D. 1115.] This year, the weather was so severe that
nearly all the bridges in England were carried away by the
ice. Henry, the emperor, having besieged Cologne for a
long time, and lost many of his troops in a pitched battle,
made a sworn peace in the city of Nuys.^ Ralph, archbishop
of Canterbury, received the pallium at the hands of Anselm,^
legate of the church of Rome, on Sunday, the fifth of the
calends of July [27th June] at Canterbury, where nearly all
the bishops of England were assembled. On the same day
Theowulf, bishop of Worcester, was consecrated with great
ceremony. Wilfrid, bishop of St. David's, in Wales, died ;
up to his time, the bishops had all been Welshmen.

On the octave of the apostles SS. Peter and Paul, [6th
July], a great council was held at Chalons by Conon, cardinal
of the Roman church, at which he excommunicated the
bishops who were not present at the council ; he degraded
some abbots, and deprived many of their staffs, and deposed
them from their dignities, interdicting them from ecclesiastical
functions.

Henry, king of England, returned to England in the
middle of the month of July. Bernard, the queen's chan-
cellor, was chosen bishop of St. David's, in Wales, on Satur-

* Ordericus describes the same phenomenon as happening during
Lent of the year 1119 in the river Seine, and ascribes it to the action
of a strong wind ; but it would rather seem on both occasions to have
been the effect of some subterranean convulsion. See the note in
vol. iii.,p. 475, of Ordericus, Bohri's Antiq. Lib.

^ Near Cologne.

^ He was the nephew of archbishop Anselm.

A.D. 1115, inc.] HOMAGE TO PRINCE WILLIAM. 227

day, the fourteenth of the calends of October [18th Septem-
ber], and the same day was advanced to the priesthood, at
Southwark, by WilHam, bishop of Winchester ; and on the
day following, at Westminster, was consecrated bishop by
Ralph the archbishop. Reignelm, bishop of Hereford, died
on the sixth of the calends of November [27th October], and
Geoffrey, the king's chaplain, was chosen in his stead.
Arnulph was ordained to the see of Rochester, and Geoffrey
to the see of Hereford, on the feast of St. Stephen [2Gth
December], at Canterbury, by Ralph, the archbishop.

[a.d. 1116.] Griffyth, son of Rhys,^ made a plundering
expedition, and burnt some castles in Wales, because king
Henry would not give him a portion of his father's territories.
The witan of all the nobles and barons of England was held
at Salisbury, on the fourteenth of the calends of April [19th
March], and they did homage and swore fealty in the pre-
sence of king Henry to his son William.

\^Quarrel between the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.^

The controversy which had been carried on for a whole
year between Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury, and Thurstan,
archbishop-elect of York, was brought before the court. The
archbishop-elect, when required by the primate to make due
submission to the church of Canterbury, and receive his bene-
diction according to the canons, replied that he was ready
to receive consecration, but nothing should induce him to
make the profession vrhich was demanded. King Henry,
finding that Thuistan persisted in his resolution, openly de-
clared that he should either follow the usages of his prede-
cessors, both in making the profession and in other things
pertaining by ancient right to the church of Canterbury, or
lose the archbishopric of York and consecration altogether.
On hearing this, he was so moved by the hasty impulses of
his temper, that he gave up the archbishopric, promising tlie
king and the archbishop that he would never claim it as long
as he lived, and that he would assert no pretensions to it,

' Son of Rhys-ap-Tewdwr, the last king of South Wales, and brother
of Nc'sta, a concubine of Ilenry I., by wliom he had Robert, earl of
Gloucester. See Warrington's Hist, of Wales, p. 280.

(^2

228 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1116, 1117.

whoever might be appointed in his stead. Owen, king of
Wales, Avas slain,^ and Henry, king of England, crossed the
sea, Thurstan, archbishop-elect of York, accompanying him,
in the hope of recovering the investiture of his archbishopric,
and obtaining consecration from the primate by the king's
command, without being compelled to make the required
profession. About the month of August, Anselm, returning
from Rome with the pallium for the archbishop of Canterbury,
joined king Henry in Normandy. He was also the bearer of
letters from the pope, appointing him his legate for ecclesias-
tical affairs in England ; which he announced in a brief to the
English nation. In consequence, at the suggestion of the
queen and her council of nobles in England, Ralph, arch-
bishop of Canterbury, crossed the sea after the feast of the
Nativity of St. Mary, to meet the king, whom he found
residing at Rouen ; and having minutely consulted with him
on the business on which he was come, by his advice he
pursued his journey to Rome.

[a.D. 1117.] By king Henry's command a new building
was commenced [at the abbey of] Cirencester. There was a
great earthquake in Lombardy, which (according to the
accounts of well-informed persons) lasted forty days, and
laid in ruins a vast number of houses ; and, what is remark-
able, a large villa was suddenly removed from its original
site, and may now be seen by all the world standing on a
very distant spot. At Milan, while some men of patrician
rank were holding a sitting in a tower on state affairs, a voice
from without was heard suddenly by all assembled, calling
one of them by name to come forth instantly. Upon his
lingering, a phantom appeared before them, and by earnest
intreaties induced the person named to quit the building.
As soon as he was gone out, the tower suddenly fell, and
buried all who were in it under its ruins. Robert, bishop of
Stafford,^ and Gilbert, abbot of Westminster, died on the
eighth of the ides [the 6th] of December.

1 Owen-ap-Cadwgan, a prince of Powis, who had espoused the
cause of king Henry against Griffyth-ap-Rhys. Warrington's History
of Wales, pp. 281—289. 2 Coventry.

THE END OF THE CHRONICLE.

THE CONTINUATION OF THE CHRONICLE

OF

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

[a.d. 1118.] Pope Paschal, of blessed memory, died on
the fourteenth of the calends of February [19th January],
and one John, a native of Gaieta, succeeded him, and changed
his name to Gelasius. " He was bred a monk from his youth
in the monastery of Monto Cassino, and in his riper years had
filled the office of chancellor, in the service of the venerable
and apostolic men, popes Desidorius, Urban, and Paschal,
with great assiduity. Meanwhile, the king of Germany, who
was also emperor of the Romans, hearing of the pope's
decease, hurried to Rome, and made the bishop of Braga^
pope, although he had been excommunicated the preceding
year at Benevento, by Pope Paschal ; his name was changed
from Maurice to Greijorv.

Matilda, queen of England, died at Westminster on the
calends [the 1st] of May, and was interred with due cere-
mony in that monastery. Many of the Normans broke the
fealty they had sworn to king Henry, and regardless of the
rights of their natural lord, transferred their homage to
Lewis, king of France, and his great lords, although they
were enemies. The before-mentioned pope, Gclasius, came
by sea to Burgundy, and his arrival was immediately notified
to all parts of France.

\_Death of the Author of the Chronicle.']

Dom Florence of Worcester, a monk of that monas-
tery, died on the nones [the Ttli] of July. His acute

* Braga, in Portugal.

230 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1118, 1119.

observation, and laborious and diligent studies, bave rendered
this Chronicle of Chronicles pre-eminent above all others.

His spirit to the skies, to eai'th his body given.

For ever may he reign with God's blest saints in heaven!

\^Death hy a Thunderstorm in Herefordshire.^

After the dedication of the church of Momerfield, by
Geoffrey, bishop of Hereford, all who had attended the con-
secration turned their steps homeward ; but although the
atmosphere had been remarkably calm up to that time, a
violent storm of thunder and lightning suddenly arose, and
some of them, overtaken by it on the road, and not being
able to retreat from the spot they had reached, halted there.
They were five in number, three men and two women ;
one of the latter was killed by a stroke of lightning, and the
other, being scorched by the flash from the navel to the soles
of the feet, perished miserably, the men only narrowly es-
caping with their lives. Their five horses were also struck
with the lightning, and killed.

[a.D. 1119.J Pope Gelasius died, and was buried at
Cluni ; he was succeeded by Gruy, bishop of Vienne, who
changed his name to Calixtus. Geoffrey, bishop of Hereford,
died on the third of the nones [the 3rd] of February, and
Herbert on the eleventh of the calends of August [22nd July].

[PFar5 between Henry and Lewis. ~\
War having broke out between Henry, king of England,
and Lewis, king of France,^ with the count' of Anjou and the
count of Flanders, king Henry seized an opportunity of making
a separate peace with the count of Anjou, receiving his
daughter in marriage with his son William, whom he had
already declared heir of all his kingdom. The count of Anjou
went to Jerusalem. After this, king Henry, with the concur-
rence of his nobles, made peace with the king of France, on
which occasion his son William was invested with Normandy, to
be held of the king of France. The king also made peace with

' Our author treats very summarily of the wars between the kings
Henry and Lewis, which ended in the decisive battle of BremuU or
Noyon, fought on the 20th August, 1119. Ordericus gives considerable
details of these hostilities in the early chapters of his twelfth book
(vol. iii., pp. 446—492, of the edition in the Antiq, JLib.). See alsQ
Henry of Huntingdon's History, ibid, pp. 247, 248.

A. D. 1119, 1 120.] PEACE RESTORED. 231

hid nobles who had unjustly and treasonably revolted against
him, and also with the count of Flanders. An earthquake
was felt in several parts of England on Sunday, the fourth
of the calends of October [28tli September], about the tliird
hour of the day.

[-4 Council held at Eheims.]

Pope Calixtus held a general council at Rheiras, on Sunday,
the thirteenth of the calends of November [20th October], at
which there was a great concourse of archbishops, bishops,
abbots, and lords of various provinces, and immense multitudes
of the clergy and people. The English bishops who were at
that time at the court of Henry in Normandy, namely, Wil-
liam of Exeter, Ralph of Durham, Bernard of St. David's,
and Urban of Glamorgan [Landaff], and also the bishops and
abbots of Normandy, were sent by the king himself to the
council. Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury, was prevented
from being present by sickness. Thurstan, archbishop-elect of
York, having requested the king's Kcense for attending it,
obtained it with some difficulty, upon pledging his word that
he would on no account accept consecration from the pope.
Bound by this pledge, he pursued his journey, and presented
himself to the pope ; but forthwith, regardless of his engage-
ment, he gained over the Romans by bribes to espouse his
cause, and through them prevailed on the pope to consecrate
him bishop with his own hands. He was thus ordained to the
see of York, and by the pope's command many of the bishops
from France assisted at the ceremony. The English bishops
had not yet come to the council; but when they learnt what
had been done, they informed the king, who being very
indignant, forbade Thurstan and his followers from returning
to England or Normandy, or any place in his dominions.

[a.d. 1120.] Ralph, archbisliop of Canterbury, returned
to England on Sunday the second of the nones [the 4th] of
.January ; and on Sunday the second of the nones [the 4 th] of
April, at Westminster, he consecrated to the bishopric of Bangor
a venerable clerk named David, who was chosen by king G rif-
fytli and the clergy and people of Wales. At this consecration
he was assisted by Richard, bishop of London, Robert, bishop
of Lincoln, Roger of Salisbury, and Urban of Glamorgan.

232 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1120, 1121.

[Shipwrech of liing Henry's children.']

Henry, king of England, having successfully accomplished
all his designs, returned from Normandy to England. His
son William, hastening to follow him, embarked in company
with a great number of nobles, knights, women, and boys.
Having left the harbour and put out to sea, encouraged by
the extraordinary calmness of the weather, shortly after-
wards the ship in which they were saihng struck on a rock
and was wrecked, and all on board were swallowed up by the
waves, except one churl, who, as it is reported, was not
worthy of being named, but by the wonderful mercy of God,
escaped alive. Of those who perished, those of highest rank
were, William, the king's son, Richard, earl of Chester, Othiel,
his brother, William Bigod, Geoffrey Riddel, Walter d'Evereux,
Geoffrey, archdeacon of Hereford, the king's daughter, the
countess of Perche, the king's niece, the countess of Chester,
and many more vrho are omitted for brevity's sake. This
disaster horrified and distressed the mind of the king, who
reached England after a safe voyage, and of all who heard of
it, and struck them with awe at the mysterious decrees of a
just God.-^

[Henry I. marries Alice of LouvaineJ]

[a.D. 1121.] Henry, king of England, having been a
widower for some time, that he might not in future lead a
dissolute life, by the advice of Ralph, archbishop of Canter-
bury, and the barons of his realm, who assembled at London
by his command on the feast of our Lord's Epiphany, resolved
to marry Alice, daughter of Godfrey, duke of Lorraine,^ a
young maiden of great beauty and modesty. Envoys being

' Ordericus Vitalis, in his twelfth book, c. xxv., gives a particular
account of the shipwreck of the Blanche Nef ; which is also men-
tioned, with more or less detail, by Huntingdon, Malmesbury, and
other chroniclers.

^ Ducis Lotharingce (or Lorraine), the reading in the text of all
the printed editions of Florence. It is a mistake into which several
of the English chroniclers have fallen, but Henry of Huntin2,don and
Roger of Wendover, as well as Ordericus Vitalis and William of
Juraieges, describe Adelaide, or Alice, the second wife of Henry I., as
daughter of Godfrey, duke of Louvaine.

A.D. 11 21. J HENRY I. MARRIES ALICE. 233

sent over, they brought the future queen with signal honours
from parts beyond the sea to Henry's court.

Meanwliile, two clerks were chosen to fill sees which had
been vacant for some time ; namely, Richard, who was keeper
of the king's seal under the chancellor, and Robert, who had
filled the office of steward of the meat and drink in the king's
household with great industry. The first of these was pre-
ferred to the see of Hereford, the latter to the see of Chester.
Herbert, also, a monk of Westminster, was made abbot of that
monastery. Ricliard, chosen bishop of Hereford on Friday
the seventh of the ides [the 7th] of January, was consecrated
at Lambeth on Sunday the seventeenth of the calends of
February [ITtli January] by Ralph, archbishop of Canter-
bury, with the assistance of Richard, bishop of London, and
the bishops, Robert of Lincoln, Arnulph of Rochester, Urban
of Glamorgan, and Bernard of St. David's.

On the fourth of the calends of February [30th January]
the maiden already mentioned as selected for queen was
married to the king by William, bishop of Winchester, at the
command of Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury ; and on the
following day, the third of the calends of February [30th
January], she was consecrated and crowned as queen by the
archbishop in person. After this, the archbishop, having
accompanied the king to Abingdon, consecrated on Sunday
the third of the ides [the 13th] of March, Robert, before
named, as bishop of Chester, there being present and assisting
at this sacrament William, bishop of Winchester, William,
bishop of Exeter, and the Welsh bishops, Url)an and Bernard.
After a few days, one named Evcrard, attached to the king's
chapel, was elected bishop of Norwich, and consecrated at
Canterbury by archbishop Ralph on the second of the ides
[the 12th] of June ; Arnulpli, bishop of Rocliester, Richard,
l)ishop of Hereford, and Robert, bisiiop of Coventry, having
met for the purpose.

l*()pe Calixtus, assembling forces from all quarters, cap-
tured Maurice, surnamed Bourdin, already mentioned, who
had been intruded by the emperor and his adherents into the
papal see by the name of Gregory, and thrust liim in disgrace,
stripped of all he possessed, into a monastery ; he having been
a monk before. King Hcin-y led an army against the Welsh,
and, taking hostages from them, reduced the whole of Wales

234 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1121 — 3.

under his dominion. A certain clerk, whose name was
Gregory, an Irishman by birth, having been chosen by the
king of Ireland, with the clergy and people, to fill the see of the
city of Dublin, came over to England that he might be
ordained, according to former custom, by the archbishop of
Canterbury, the primate of England ; whereupon, by the
archbishop's command, Roger, bishop of Salisbury, conferred
on him the orders of priest and deacon at his castle of
Devizes on Saturday the eleventh of the calends of October
[21st September]. He was ordained bishop on Sunday the
sixth of the nones [the 2nd] of October at Lambeth by Ralph,
, archbishop of Canterbury ; the following bishops, Richard of
London, Roger of Salisbury, Robert of Lincoln, Everard of
Korwich, and David of Bangor assisting at the consecration.
The mother church at Tewkesbury was consecrated with
great ceremony by Theowulf, bishop of Worcester, Richard,
bishop of Hereford, Urban, bishop of Glamorgan, and the
before-named Gregory, bishop of Durham, on Monday the
ninth of the calends of November [24th October].

[a.D. 1122]. The city of Gloucester, with the principal
monastery, was again destroyed by fire on Wednesday the
fourth of the ides [the 4th] of March, in the twenty-second
year of king Henry's reign. It was burnt before in the first
year of his reign, on Thursday the eleventh of the calends of
June [22nd May]. Ralph, the twenty-fifth archbishop of
Canterbury, departed this life at Canterbury on Thursday the
fourteenth of the calends of November [19th October]. John,
bishop of Bath, died on the fourth of the calends of January
[29th December] : during his lifetime he had bought the
whole city of Bath from king Henry for five hundred pounds.

[a.D. 1123.] Robert, the eighteenth bishop of Lincoln,
while riding on horseback and conversing with king Henry at
Woodstock in the month of January, fell to the ground, and,
losing the use of his speech, was carried to his lodgings, and
shortly afterwards expired.^ Ralph, also, the king's chan-
cellor, came to a wretched end.^ William, a canon of

' For the circumstances attending the death of Robert Bloet, bishop
of Lincoln, see the Saxon Chronicle ; also, Henry of Huntingdon's
History, p. 250, and his " Letter to Walter," p. 304. Bohn'sAntiq. Lib.

^ The tragic end of this unscrupulous lawyer is related by Hunting-
don. Ibid, p. 250.

A.D. 1123, 1124.] ECCLESIASTICAL APPOINTMENTS. 235

St. Osythe, at Chiehe/ was named to the archbishopric of
Canterbury at Gloucester, where the king held his court at
the feast of the Purification of St. Mary ; and he was conse-
crated at Canterbury by William, bishop of Winchester,
assisted by many other bishops, on the fourteenth of the
calends of March [IGth February]. With his approval, the
bishopric of Lincoln was given to Alexander, archdeacon of
Salisbury. Afterwards, archbishop William, in company
with Thurstan, archbishop of York, Bernard, bishop of
St. David's,^ Sigefred, abbot of Glastonbury, and Anselm,
abbot of St. Edmund's, went to Rome to receive the pallium.
Alexander, king of Scots, died on the seventh of the calends
of May [2oth April]. Henry, king of England, went over
sea after the feast of Whitsuntide pird June]. William,
archbishop of Canterbury, having received the pallium from
pope Calixtus, and Thurstan, archbishop of York, with their
companions, on their return from Rome, paid a visit to the
king, who was still in Normandy : after a short stay, arch-
bishop William came back to England, and, on the eleventh
of the calends of August [22nd July], at Canterbury, conse-
crated Alexander as bishop of Lincoln ; and, on the seventh
of the calends of September [26th August], in the church of
St. Paul the Apostle, at London, consecrated Godfrey, the
queen's chancellor, to the bishopric of Bath. Theowulf, the
twenty-sixth bishop of Worcester, died on Saturday the
thirteenth of the calends of November [20th October] at his
vill of Hampton.^ Robert, abbot of Tewkesbury, departed
this life on the sixth of the ides [the 8th] of December.
Alexander, king of Scots, was succeeded by David his
brother.

[a.d. 1124.] Arnulph, the twenty-third bishop of Ro-
chester, died in the month of March. Waleran, earl de
Mellent, was taken prisoner in Passion-week, with many

' St. Osythe, in Essex, a priory rebuilt in 1118 for canons of the
Auf^ustine ordor, of which tliere are considerable remains.

■^ Henry of IIuntin;^don includes Alexander, the new bishop of Lin-
coln, arnon^ th(; archi)isho[)'s companions to Rome, and it is probable
that th(; historian attendi-d his patron. See his character of bishop
Alexander, p. 2r)'A, of his history in th(? An(i(j. Lib.

^ Hampton-upon-Avon, or liishop's Hampton, now called Hampton
Lucy, near Stratford^ au ancient possession of the bishops of
Worcester.

236 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1125.

others, by king Henry's troops in Normandy, and committed
to close custody in the Tower of Bouen. Geoffrey, abbot of
the New Minster at Winchester, died. The reverend prior
of the church of Worcester, Nicholas by name, died on
Wednesday the eighth of the calends of July [24th June],

God, of his mercy, grant him bliss in heaven !

William, archbishop of Canterbury, crossed the sea by the
king's command. Pope Calixtus died, and was succeeded by
Honorius, bishop of Ostia.

[a.D. 1125.] Coiners in England, taken with counterfeit
money, suffered the penalty of the king's cruel law by having
their right hands struck off and their lower limbs mutilated.
Afterwards, by a change in the coinage, all articles became
very dear, and, in consequence, a great scarcity ensued, and
numbers died of famine.^

Simon, the queen's chancellor, and Sigefred, abbot of
Glastonbury, both men of distinguished worth and piety, were
chosen bishops while they were in Normandy ; Simon being
appointed to the see of Worcester, and Sigefred to the see of
Chichester. Hugh, a man of great prudence, archdeacon
successively to Samson and Theowulf, bishops of W^orcester,
died on the twelfth of the calends of April [21st March].
After Easter [29th March], the bishops-elect, Simon and
Sigefred, with the archbishops William and Thurstan, and a
cardinal of Rome named John, came to England, and Sigefred
was consecrated as bishop of Chichester at Lambeth by arch-
bishop William on the second of the ides [the 12th] of April ;
there being present at this consecration the Roman cardinal,
Thurstan; archbishop of York, Everard, bishop of Norwich,
Richard of Hereford, Bernard of St. David's, David of Bangor,
Urban of Glamorgan, and John, bishop-elect of Rochester.
Simon, the bishop-elect of Worcester, was conducted into
Worcester by the clergy and people in joyful procession on
the eighth of the ides [the 8th] of May,^ being the day of our
Lord's Ascension ; and, on the tenth of the calends of June
[23rd May], he was ordained priest at Canterbury by William
the archbishop. The emperor Henry died, and was buried

* Henry of Hunt:n^don tells us that a horse-load of corn (wheat or
rye?) was sold for sir shillings.
^ It fell that year on the 7th May.

A.D. 1125.] SIMON', BISHOP OF WORCESTER. 237

at Spiref', where his grandfatlier was also interred. Lothaire,
the ninety-eighth emperor of the Romans, reigned thirteen
years.

Simon, the bishop-elect of Worcester, went to Canterbury
in company with Godfrey, bishop of Bath, and, liaving been
ordained priest by the archbi.sliop on Saturday in Whitsun-
week [23rd May],^ was on the following day consecrated with
great pomp bishop of the holy mother church of Worcester ;
John, archdeacon of Canterbury, receiving consecration as
bishop of Rochester at the same time. Richard, bishop of
Hereford, David of Bangor, Godfrey of Bath, and Sigefred
of Chichester assisted at the consecration. When Simon
arrived at Worcester, his episcopal see, he was again met by
great crowds of people, conducted by whom in procession
with great pomp he was enthroned, and a " Te Deum" chanted.
On the same day, that is to say on the ninth of the calends
of June [24th May], Benedict, a loving and faithful servant
of God in all his household, was, by Simon, the new bishop,
consecrated as the new abbot of the convent of Worcester :
he was, tlie year before, from having been prior, elected
abbot of Tewkesbury, where he had been brought up under
the monastic rule from boyhood, and in course of time was
admitted in peace and love to be one of the monks of
Worcester by licence from Wulfstan, the lord bishop, at whose
hands he had received all the ecclesiastical orders. There
were present at the consecration of this abbot the bishops who
had received bishop Simon in procession, namely, Richard
of Hereford, Godfrey of Bath, and David of Bangor, together
with Benedict's fellow abbots of the diocese of Worcester,
Guy of Pershore, William of Gloucester, and Godfrey of
Winclicombe; the lord Walchere, tlie prior of Malvern, repre-
sented his abbot, who lay sick, and Dominic, prior of Evesham,
was also present : these were men to whom the words of the
Psalmist may bo applied, " He sendeth the s])rings into the
rivers which run among the hills,"^ and such was the companv
which met the bishop in procession.^

' A repetition of a former entry. ^ Psalm civ. 10.

' In the text of all the editions, the quotation from the Vulp^ate,
which is so beautifully applied to the fertilising; iiiHueuces of religiou.s
institutions in a district cc.lebrated for its waters and hills, is carried
on by the use of inverted comma.s to the end of the para{i;raph. It is
needless to say, that the latter clause is not found iu the Vulgate.

238 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1125.

[-4 synod held at LondonJ]

A synod was held at London, in the church of the blessed
prince of the apostles at Westminster, on the ninth of Sep-
tember, that is, on the fifth of the ides of that month, in
which, after the discussion of various matters, the following
canons, seventeen in number, were published with unanimous
consent. John, of Crema,^ a cardinal priest of the holy and
apostolic church, with the title of St. Chrysogonus, and legate
in England of the lord pope Honorius, presided at this synod;
and it was attended by William, archbishop of Canterbury,
and Thurstan, archbishop of York, and the bishops of diifer-
ent dioceses, to the number of twenty ; with about forty
abbots, and a great concourse of the clergy and people. These
are the canons : —

The first canon. Following in the steps of the holy
fathers, we forbid, by apostolic authority, any ecclesiastical
ordination being conferred for money.

II. We also prohibit the exaction of any fee for chrism, for
oil, for baptism, for penance, for the visitation or unction of
the sick, for the communion of the body of Christ, or for
burial.

III. Moreover, we ordain and decree, by apostolic author-
ity, that at the consecration of bishops, or the benediction of
abbots, or the dedication of churches, no cope, or tippet, or
maniple, or ewer, or any other thing shall be exacted by vio-
lence, but they are to be voluntary offerings.

ly. No abbot or prior, monk or clerk, shall accept any
church, tythe, or ecclesiastical benefice, by the gift of a lay-
man, without the authority and consent of his own bishop.
If he shall so presume, the gift shall be void, and he shall be
subject to canonical censure.

y. Moreover, we decree that no person shall claim the
patronage of a church or prebend by right of inheritance, or
bequeath to a successor any ecclesiastical benefice ; which, if
he shall presume to do, we declare that it shall have no effect,
saying, with the Psalmist, " O my God, make them like unto

^ See Henry of Huntingdon, p. 252, Antiq. Lib., for a scandalous
and well-known story of this cardinal. Crema, his native place, is a
town in the Bolosrnese.

A.D. 1125.] DISCIPLINE OF THE CLERGY. 239

a wheel ; " while they said, " Let us take to ourselves the
houses of God in possession."^

VI. Furthermore, we decree that clerks holding churches
or ecclesiastical benefices, who avoid being ordained in order
to live with greater freedom, and continue to treat holy orders
with contempt, after being invited thereto by the bishop,
shall be deprived of their churches and benefices.

. VII. No one but a priest shall be promoted to the office of
dean or prior ; no one but a deacon to an archdeaconry.

VIII. Xo person shall be ordained priest without a regular
title. Whoever is ordained independently shall forfeit the
degree he has obtained.

IX. No abbot, or clerk, or layman shall presume to eject
any person ecclesiastically ordained to a church, without the
sentence of his own bishop. Whoever presumes to do other-
wise shall be subject to excommunication.

X. No bishop shall presume to ordain or judge a person
belonging to another diocese, for every one stands or falls to
his own master ; nor shall any one be bound by a sentence
which is not pronounced by his own judge.

XI. No one shall presume to receive into communion one
who has been excommunicated by another. If he shall have
done this knowingly he himself shall be deprived of Christian
communion.

XII. We also ordain that two archdeaconries or dignities
of another class shall not be held by one person.

XIII. We prohibit, by apostolic authority, priests, deacons,
sub-deacons, and canons from living with wives, concubines,
and women generally, except a mother, a sister, an aunt, or
other females free from all suspicion. Whoever violates
this canon shall, on confession or conviction, suffer the loss of
liis order.

XIV. We utterly prohibit usury and filthy lucre to clerks
of every degree. Whoever shall have pleaded guilty to such
a charge, or been convicted of it, is to be degraded from the
rank he holds.

XV. We decree that sorcerers, fortune-tellers, and those
who deal in divination of any kind, shall be excounnunicated,
and we brand them with perpetual infamy.

XVI. We prohibit marriages being contracted between

' Ps. Ixxxiii. 12, J 3.

240 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1126.

persons connected by blood or affinity, as far as the

generation. If any persons thus connected have married, let
them be separated.

XVII. We forbid men's being allowed to allege consan-
guinity against their own wives, and the witnesses they bring
forward are not to be admitted ; but let the authority of the
fathers be maintained.

"Are you content?" "Be it so." — "Are you content?"
"Be it so."— "Are you content V " Be it so."^

The same cardinal, after quitting England, went to Nor-
mandy, and at length returned to Rome. William, the
archbishop, also considering that the church of England had
received grievous offence in the humiliation of the see of
Canterbury, crossed the channel himself on his way to Rome, to
procure the best support he could in the disordered state of
affairs, and prevent their growing worse. He therefore
proceeded to Rome, and was received with honour by pope
Honorius, who had succeeded Calixtus, and who made the
archbishop his vicar-general in England and Scotland, and
appointed him legate of the apostolic see.

[a.D. 11?6.] King Henry returned to England at Christ-
mas, and held his court at Windsor Castle with great mag-
nificence, having summoned all the nobles of the realm to
attend him there. On this occasion, when the bishop of
York, claiming equality with the archbishop of Canterbury,
offered to place the crown on the king's head,^ as his pre-
decessors had done, his claim was rejected by the decision of
all who were present, and it was unanimously agreed that
nothing pertaining to the royal crown belonged to him.
Moreover, the bearer of the cross which he caused to be
borne before him into the king's chapel, was thrust out of the
chapel, with the cross he carried; for, by the judgment of
the bishops and some learned men skilled in ecclesiastical law,
it was established and settled that it was not lawful for a
metropolitan to have his cross carried before him out of his
own province.

^ The question seems to have been put thrice, in the form still
used in convocation : Piacetne vobisf — Placet.

^ It will be^undejTstood that this was not the ceremony of corona-
tion; the kings of England wore their crowns, when they kept court
at the three srreat church festivals.

A.D. 112G, 1127.] REIGN OF HENRY II. 241

\Fealty sworn to the empress Matilda.\

As soon as the feast days [of Christmas] were over, the
king went to London, attended by all the men of rank in the
realm who had flocked to his court, and there, by the king's
command, William, the archbishop and legate of the see of Rome,
and all the other bishops of England, and the nobles of the land,
swore fealty to the king's daughter ; engaging to defend her
right to tiie crown of England, if she should survive her
father, against all opposers, unless he should yet before his
death beget a son in lawful wedlock, to become his successor.
On the death of the emperor Henry, who had lived in mar-
riage with her many years, without leaving children, she had
returned to her father's court, where she was surrounded with
all the honours becoming her station. The king, therefore,
having lost his son William in the manner already described,
and there being as yet no other direct heir to the kingdom,
for that reason made over the right to the crown to his
1 daughter, under the provisoe just mentioned.

[The custodi/ of Rochester castle planted to the archbishops of

Canterbury?^

The king, also, by the advice of his barons, granted to the
church of Canterbury, and to William the archbishop, and to
all his successors, the custody and constableship of the castle
of Rochester, to hold for ever ; with liberty to make in the
same castle a fort or tower, as they pleased, and have and
guard it for ever; and that the garrison stationed in the
castle should have free ingress and egress on their own occa-
sions, and should be security to the archbishop for it. Robert,
surnamed Pecceth, bishop of Coventry, departed this life, and
lies buried at Coventry. Hugh, abbot of St. Augustine's
[at Canterbury], died.

\A synod held at Westminster. ~\

[a.d. 1127.]' William, archbishop of Canterbury, con-
vened a general synod of all the bishops and abbots, and some
men of religion from all parts of England, at the monas-
tery of St. Peter, situated in the western ]>art of London.
At this synod he himself presided as archbishop of Canter-
bury and legate of the apostolic see ; assisted ])y William,

R

242 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1127.

bishop of Winchester, Roger of Salisbury, William of Exeter,
Hervey of Ely, Alexander of Lincoln, Everard of Norwich,
Sij^efrid of Chichester, Richard of Hereford, Geoffrey of
Rath, Jolm of Rochester, Bernard of St. David's in Wales,
Urban of Glamorgan or Llandaff, and David of Bangor.
Richard, bishop of London, and Robert, bishop of Chester,-^
were then dead, and no successors had yet been appointed to
their sees. But Thurstan, archbishop of York, sent messen-
gers with letters assigning reasonable cause for his non-ap-
pearance at the convocation. Ralph, bishop of Durham,
fell sick on the road, and was not able to complete the journey,
as the prior of his church and the clerks whom he sent for-
ward solemnly attested. Simon, bishop of Worcester, had
gone to visit his relations beyond seas, and was not yet
returned. Great multitudes, also, of the clergy and
laity, both rich and poor, flocked together, and there was a
numerous and important meeting. The council sat for three
days, namely, the third of the ides [the 13th] of May, the
following day, and the third day afterwards, being the seven-
teenth of the calends of June [16tli May]. There were some
proceedings with respect to secular affairs ; some were deter-
mined, some adjourned, and some withdrawn from the hearing
of the judges, on account of the disorderly conduct of the
immense crowd. But the decrees and statutes made in this synod
by common consent of the bishops we have thought it desirable
to record in this work, as they were there publicly declared
and accepted. They are these : — /

I. We wholly prohibit, by the authority of St. Peter, prince
of the apostles, and our own, the buying and selling of any
ecclesiastical benefices, or any ecclesiastical dignities whatever.
Whoever shall be convicted of having violated this decree, if
he be a clerk, or even a regular canon, or a monk, let him be
degraded from his order ; if a layman, let him be held out-
lawed and excommunicated, and be deprived o/ his patronage
of the church or benefice.

II. We totally interdict, by the authority of the apostolic
see, the ordination or promotion of any person in the churcli
of God, for the sake of lucre.

' The bishopric of Lichfield was removed to Chester in 1075, but
again restored to its former seat. The present bishopric of Chester
is one of the new sees founded after the Reformation.

A.I). 1127.] DECREES OF A SYNOD. 243

III. We condemn certain payments of money exacted for
the admission of canons, monks, and nuns,

IV. Xo one shall be ai)pointed a dean but a priest, and no
one but a deacon, archdeacon. If any one in minor orders be
named to these dignities he shall be enjoined by the bishop to
take the orders required. But if he disobey the bishop's
monition to take such orders, he shall lose his appointment to
the dignity.

Y. We utterly interdict all illicit intercourse with women,
as well by priests, deacons, and sub-deacons, as by all canons.
If, however, they will retain their concubines (which God
forbid), or their wives, they are to be deprived of their
ecclesiastical orders, their dignity, and benefice. If there be
any such among parish priests, we expel them from the
chancel, and declare them infamous. Moreover, we command,
by the authority of God and our own, all archdeacons and
officials, whose duty it is, to use the utmost care and diligence
in eradicating this deadly evil from the church of God. If
they be found negligent in this, or (which God forbid) con-
senting thereto, they are for the first and second offence to be
duly corrected by the bishops, and for the third to be punished
more severely, according to the canons.

VI. The concubines of priests and canons shall be expelled
from the parish, unless they shall have contracted a lawful
marriage there. If they are found afterwards offending, they
shall be arrested by the officers of the church, in whatever
lordship they may be ; and we command, under pain of ex-
communication, that they be not sheltered by any jurisdiction,
either inferior or superior, but truly delivered up to the officer
of the church, to be subjected to ecclesiastical discipline, or
reduced to bondage, according to the sentence of the bishop.

VII. We prohibit, under pain of excommunication, any arch-
deacon from iiolding several archdeaconries in different dioceses;
let him retain that only to which he was first appointed.

VIII. Bishops are to prohibit all priests, abbots, monks,
and priors, subject to their jurisdiction, from holding farms.

IX. We command that tithes be honestly paid, for they are
the sovereign right of the most high God.

X. We forbid, by canonical authority, any person from
giving or receiving churches or tithes, or other ecclesiastical
benefices, without the consent and authority of the bishop.

11 2

244 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1127, 1128.

XI. No abbess or nun is to use garments of richer material
than lamb's-vvool or cat-skin.

King Henry, who remained at London during these pro-
ceedings, being informed of the acts of the council, assented
to them, and ratified and confirmed by his royal authority the
decrees of the synod held at Westminster by William, arch-
bishop of Canterbury and legate of the holy Roman church.
One Hugh, of the diocese of Rochester, being appointed
abbot, was advanced, with deserved honour, to the dignity for
which he was designated, that of abbot of St. Augustine's, by
William, archbishop of Canterbury, on Sunday, the second of
the ides [the 12thj of June, at Chichester. Richard, bishop
of Hereford, died at his vill, called Dydelebyrig,-^ on Monday
the eighteenth of the calends of September [15th August] ; -
his body was carried to Hereford, and buried in the church
there, with the bishops his predecessors. Henry, king of
England, M^ent over sea.

[a.D. 1128,] Thurstan, the archbishop, consecrated at
York, Robert, who had been intruded by Alexander, king
of Scots, on the petition of David, his brother and successor,
into the see of St. Andrew's. The archbishop had called
in Ralph, bishop of Durham, and one Ralph, formerly
ordained bishop of the Orkney islands, to be his coadjutors in
the ceremony. This Ralph having been ordained without the
election or consent of the lord of the land, or of the clergy
and people, was rejected by all of them, and acknowledged as,
bishop by no one. Being bishop of no city, he attached him-
self sometimes to the archbishop of York, sometimes to the
bishop of Durham ; he was supported by them, and em-
ployed by both as coadjutor in the performance of their
episcopal functions.^ Robert, being consecrated by these
bishops, was not permitted by the Scots, as it is reported, to

' Ledbury, Herefordshire.

^ This accounts for this Ralph's being called " bishop of Durham,"
by Henry of Huntingdon and Roger of Wendover, who seem to have
lost sight of his original and proper designation. The ubiquitous
bishop forms a distinguished figure in the group sketched by the former
author before the battle of the Standard, a.d. 1138, in which we are
informed he was commissioned by the archbishop of York to supply his
place. Henrjf of Huntingdon represents him as standing on a hillock,
and arl dressing the army before the battle in a florid discourse, which
the historian has preserved. See pp. 267 — 269, in the Antiq. Lib.

A.D. 1128.] BISHOPS AND ABBOTS. 245

make any profession of submission or obedience to the cliureh
of York or its bishop, although he was a canon of that
church.

A man of north and advanced years^ who was a canon of
the church of Lyons, was elected bishop of London ; for
Ilichard, bishop of that city, was dead, and this person,
named Gilbert, and surnamed The Universal,^ was appointed
in his stead by king Henry and archbishop William, with the
assent of the clergy and people. He was consecrated by the
archbishop himself, in the mother church of Canterbury, on
Sunday, the eleventh of the calends of February [22nd
January]. Sigefrid, bishop of Chichester, and John, bishop
of Itochester, assisted and took part in the ceremony, in the
presence of the abbots, and other great and noble persons,
assembled at Canterbury on the occasion ; his profession having
been first made in the same way his predecessors had done, by
which he promised canonical submission and obedience in all
tilings to the archbishop and his successors.

Urban, bishop of Glamorgan or Llandaff, considering that
ho had not been justly dealt with in regard to certain questions
with Bernard, bishop of St. David's, which he had litigated
in the council of the preceding year, crossed the sea, after the
feast of the Purification of St. Mary [2nd February], and
proceeding to Rome, laid the cause of his journey, supjiorted
by clear attestations from his own diocese, before the apos-
tolical poj)e. The pope lent a favourable ear to his pre-
tensions and statements, and addressed letters to king Henry
and archbishop William, and the other bishops of England,
enjoining them by his apostolical authority to suffer no oppo-
sition from any one to Urban's just demands.

The venerable Godfrey, abbot of Shrewsbury, died on
Wednesday, the fourth of the calends of April [24th March].
Geoffrey, prior of Canterbury, was, at the request of David,
king of Scots, and with the permission of William the arch-
bishop, elected abbot of a place in Scotland called Dunfermline,
and ordained by Robert, bishop of St. Andrew's. Urban,
bishop of Llandatf, returned to England, after a successful

' Gilbert the Universal, so called from his extensive learning. See
his character sliortly drawn in Henry of IIinitin<;(lon's caustic style.
*' Letter to Walter," p. MO of his works in the Antuj. Lib.

246 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1129, 1130.

journey ; and, by the king's command, the apostolical man-
dates respecting him were carried into effect.

One of the monks of the church of Shrewsbury, named
Herbert, having been elected abbot, and consecrated by arch-
bishop William at Lewes, assumed the government of the
monastery at Shrewsbury as such abbot. Hugh, abbot of
Chertsey, died. William, count of Flanders, surnamed The
Sad, falling into an ambush, was wounded by his ene-
mies, and, his sufferings increasing, died, amidst universal
lamentations, on the sixth of the calends of August [27th
July], and was buried at St. Bertin. Ralph, bishop of
Durham, died on the nones [the dthi] of September ; and
Geoffrey, archbishop of Rouen, departed this life on the
fourth of the calends of December [28th November].

[a.D. 1129.] William, bishop of Winchester, died on the
eighth of the calends of February [25th January], and was
buried at Winchester. In the month of July, Henry, king of
England, returned from Normandy to England. His nephew,
Henry, abbot of Glastonbury, elected to the see of Winton in
the month of October, was consecrated bishop by William,
archbishop of Canterbury, on Sunday, the fifteenth of the
calends of December [17th November]. Roger, archdeacon
of Buckingham, and nephew of Geoffrey de Clinton, having
been elected to the see of Chester, was ordained priest on the
twelfth of the calends of January [21st December], and the
next day was consecrated bishop at Canterbury by the arch-
bishop. He was afterwards enthroned, by the archbishop's
mandate, m the episcopal chair at Coventry,^ by Simon, bishop
of Worcester, on Monday, the sixth of the calends of February
[27th January].

[a.D. 1130.] Hugh, abbot of Reading, was elected arch-
bishop of Rouen. Christ church, at Canterbury, was dedicated
with great pomp, by William, archbishop of that city, on the
fourth of the nones [the 4th] of May. The following
bishops were present at the consecration : — John, bishop of
Rochester, Gilbert of London, Henry of Winchester,
Simon of Worcester, Alexander of Lincoln, Roger of
Salisbury, Godfrey of Bath, Everard of Norwich, Sigefrid
of Chichester, Bernard of St. David's; with Owen, bishop
of Evreux, and John, bishop of Seez, from beyond sea. On the
' See note before, p. 242,

A.L). 1130-32.] BISHOPS AND ABBOTS. 247

fourth day afterwards — that is, on the nones [the 7th] of
May — the city of Rochester was destroyed by lire, while the
king was there ; and on the day following, being the feast of
our Lord's Ascension, the new cluircli of St. Andrew was
consecrated by William the archbishop, some of the before-
mentioned bishops assisting him in the service. [Ansger], the
excellent prior of Lewes, was elected at Winchester abbot of
Reading, and afterwards ordained ; also Ingulph, prior of
Winchester, having been elected at Woodstock abbot of
Abingdon, was ordained by Roger, bishop of Salisbury.
William, abbot of Gloucester, having voluntarily resigned his
pastoral charge by reason of age, chose, with the consent of
the brethren, a pious monk, of the same house, named Walter,
who was ordained abbot by Simon, bishop of Worcester, on
Sunday, the nones [the 3rd] of August. Serlo, also, a canon
of Salisbury, was ordained abbot by the same bishop, at
Blockley, an episcopal vill, and appointed to govern the abbey
of Cirencester. Robert, prior of the church of Llanthony,
being elected to the see of Hereford, was consecrated at
Oxford, by William, archbishop of Canterbury. Henry, king
of England, went over the sea.

[a.d. 11.31.] Reginald, the reverend abbot of Ramsey,
died on the thirteenth of the calends of June [20th May].
William, the venerable abbot of Gloucester, and Hervey,
who had been bishop of Bangor, and^'as afterwards the first
bishop of Ely, died on the third of the calends of September
[30th August], the ninth indiction.

[a.d. 1132.] A comet was seen on the eighth of the ides
of October [8th October], and remained visible for nearly five
days. The greater part of the city of London, with the
principal church of St. Paul the apostle, was destroyed by fire,
in Wiiitsun week — that is, on tlie second of the ides [the
14th] of May. In the thirty-third year of the reign of Henry,
king of England, on Wednesday, the same day in the course
of the year on which his l)rotlier and predecessor, king William
Rufus, was slain, and on which king Henry himself assumed
the government at the connneneement of his reign, it is stated
that the following appearance occurred. While the king,
having gone to the coast for the purpose of crossing the sea,
delayed his departure, although the wind was often fair for
the voyage, at lust, on the day mentioned, he went down to

248 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1132.

the shore about noon to take his passage, surrounded by his
guards, as is the custom of kings. Then suddenly a cloud
was seen in the air, which was visible throughout England,
though not of the same size ; for in some places the day only
appeared gloomy, while in others the darkness was such that
men required the light of candles for whatever they had to
do. The king and his attendants, and many others, w^alked
about in great wonder ; and, raising their eyes to the heavens,
observed that the sun had the appearance of shining like a
new moon. But it did not long preserve the same shape ; for
sometimes it was broader, sometimes narrower, sometimes
more curved, sometimes more upright, now steady as usual,
and then moving, and quivering and liquid like quicksilver.
Some say that the sun was eclipsed.-"^ If this be true, the sun
was then in the head of the dragon, and the moon in its tail,
or the sun in the tail, and the moon in the head, in the fifth
sign, and the seventeenth degree of that sign. The moon
was then in her twenty-seventh day. On the same day, and
at the same hour, many stars appeared.

Moreover, on the same day, when the ships were anchored
on the shore, ready for the king's voyage, the sea being very
calm and little wind stirring, the great anchors of one of the^
ships were suddenly wTenched from their hold in the ground,
as though by some violent shock, and the ship getting \Hider
weigh, to the surprise di" numbers who strove in vain to stop
lier, set in motion the ship next to her, and thus eight ships
fell foul of each other by some unknown force, so that they
all received damage. It was also generally reported that on
the same day and about the same hour, many churches in the
province of York were seen sweating, as it were, great drops.

All these occurrences took place, as it is said, on Wednesday,
the fourth of the nones [the 2nd] of August. And on
Friday, in the same week, the second of the nones of the
same month [4th August], at daybreak, there was a great
earthquake in many parts of England. There were some
also who said that in the week following, on Monday, the

^ Cf. William of Malmesbury's account of this eclipse, to which,
however, he has not assij^ned the exact date, though he tells us that
he was an eye-witness. He mentions, also, an earthquake ; a shock of
which, probably, caused the convulsion which dashed the ships iu
liurbour against each other.

1

A.D. 1 1.j3-o.] death of iienuy 11. 240

sixth of the ides of the same month [8th August], when the
moon was three days old, they saw her first as she generally
appeared at that age, and after a short space of time, in the
evening of tlie same day, tliey observed her full, like a round
and verv briixht shield. Manv also reported that on the same
night they saw two moons, distant about a spear's length from
each other.

[a.d. 1133.] Notwithstanding, king Henry crossed the
sea, leaving England for Xormandy, never to return alive and
see England again. In the month of November the city of
Worcester was exposed to the ravages of fire, a frequent
occurrence.

[a.d. ] 134.] Robert, brother of king Henry, and formerly
earl of Normandy, who was taken prisoner of war by the
king when in Normandy, at the castle of Tinchebrai, and had
been long confined in England, died at Cardiff, and, being
carried to Gloucester, was buried with great honours in the
pavement of the church before the altar. Godfrey, bishop of
Bath, died on the seventeenth of the calends of September
[l()th August] ; after some interval he was succeeded by a
monk named Ilobert, a Fleming by descent, but born in Eng-
land. Thus Robert, from a monk became a bishop, such being
the pleasure of Henry, bishop of Winchester, who is now, but
was not at that time, legate of the Roman church.^

[a.d. 1135.] Henry, king of England, died on the fourth
of the nones [the 20t]i] of December, in the sixty- ninth year
of his age, after a reign of thirty-five years and four months ;
and Stephen, his sister's son, being elected to the kingdom of
England, was consecrated king, by William, archbishop of
Canterbury, on the thirteenth of the calends of January
[20th December], at London, where he held his court, at
Christmas, surrounded by the nobles of England, with great
courtesy and royal pomp. The holy festival being ended, the
corpse of king Henry, lately deceased, was brought from
Normandy to England,'"^ and the king went to meet it,

' From this passaf>o, as we have remarked elsewhere, the continuator
of Flor(!iu'e a[)pear.s to have been a coteinporary witli Henry de Ulois,
at Iciujt, when he was in the /enitli of his power.

. - Henry I. died at the easLle oi" JJons, near Rouen. Ordericus
Vit.dis, in his thirteenth hook, and William of Mahn('sl)ury, in the
first book of his "Modern History," give an account of lus obsequies,

250 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a,D. 1135.

attended by a large body of nobles, and for the love he bore
his uncle, he supported the bier on his royal shoulders,
assisted by his barons, and thus brought the corpse to
Heading. Masses were sung, many rich offerings made, alms
distributed to multitudes of the poor, and the obsequies
having been duly solemnised, and his effigy exposed to view
on a hearse, the royal corpse was deposited, with the highest
honours, in a tomb constructed, according to custom, before
the altar in the principal church, dedicated to the most blessed
and glorious Virgin Mary, which king Henry himself, for the
good of his soul, had endowed with Lmds, woods, meadows,
and pastures, and enriched with many ornaments.

May Henry, England's king, to whom such wealth was given,
From purgatorial pains released, partake the bliss of heaven !

After his interment, Stephen being on the throne, and, in-
deed, long before, the bonds of peace were broken asunder,
and the greatest discord prevailed in all parts of Normandy and
England. Man rose up against man — discord was rife in the^"
land, wasting the substance of both high and low, and pene-
trating on all sides within strong and lofty walls. Every one
spoiled his neighbour's goods. The powerful oppress the
weak by violence, and obtain exemption from inquiry by the
terror of their threats. Death is the lot of him who resists.
The wealthy nobles of the land, rolling in affluence, care little
to what iniquities the wretched sufferers are exposed ; all their
concern is for themselves and their own adherents; they store
their castles and fortified towns with all things necessary, and
garrison them with armed bands, fearing a revolution which
should alter the succession to the crown, and not reflecting on
the dispensations of the providence of God, " whose ways are
past finding out." While all should be hushed in peace in the
presence of royalty, as before a roaring lion, there is no end
of devastations and ravages in numberless places, and
especially in Wales. From this any one may perceive with
how little prudence and firmness, with what injustice rather
than justice, England, which ought to be ruled far otherwise,

so far as they took place in Normandy. Henry of Huntingdon adds
some disgusting details of the treatment of the royal corpse, in the
rude process by which it was preserved for transport to England.
Hist., p. 262. «

J

A.D. 1136.] KING STEPHEN. 251

is now governed. In tlie prevailing lust of money, and an
inordinate anihition for preferment of every kind, moderation,
the mother of virtues, is scarcely to be found.

Stephen, king of England, marched into Devonshire with
a large force of horse and foot, and besieged, for a long time
the castle of Exeter,^ which Baldwin, surnamed de Redvers,
had fortified in defiance of the royal authority. But at length,
the garrison being short of provisions, terms were made, and
Baldwin, with his wife and children, were expelled from Eng-
land, his hinds being forfeited. Ansger, the venerable abbot
of Reading, died on the sixth of the calends of February
[27th January], and Godfrey, bishop of Bath, on the seven-
teenth of the calends of September [16th August].

[a.d. 1136.] Speedily after the death of king Henry on the
fourth of the nones (the 2nd) of December a severe battle was
fought in Gower,^ between the Normans and the Welsh, on
the calends [the Isi] of January, in which five hundred and
sixteen of tlie two armies perished. Their bodies were
horribly dragged about the fields and devoured by the w^olves.
Afterwards the Welsh made a desperate inroad, attended with
the destruction, far and wide, of churches, vills, corn, and cattle,
the burning of castles and other fortified places, and the
slaughter, dispersion, and sale into captivity in foreign lands
of countless numbers, both of the rich and poor. Among
these, tlie noble and amiable Richard, son of Gilbert,^ falling
into an ambush, was slain by the Welsh, on the seventeenth of
the calends of May [15th April] ; and his body being carried
to Gloucester, was honourably buried in the chapter-house of
the brethren. Another bloody battle was afterwards fought
at Cardigan, in the second week of the month of October, in
this same year, in which the slaughter was so great that, with-
out reckoning the men who were carried oft' into captivity,
tiiere remained ten thousand women, whose husbands, with
numberless children, were either drowned, or burnt, or })ut to

' There is a curious account of the siege in the " Gosta Stophani,"
ai)pou(l('d to IIuntin;j;(Ujn's History in the Antit/. Lib., pp. 3.S7 — .'543.

■^ A district of South Wales, nearly correspondin;^ with the present
county of Glaniorj^an. Neither Huntirii^don nor Mahnesbury mention
this expedition ; but the anonymous author of the " Gesta Stephani"
des(Tib(s it in some detail. — Jfj. pp. o'2i) — 332.

' Kichard, son of (iilberi tie Clare, to whom th(> territory of Car-
dii,'an had been given by king Henry, was murdered by Jorwerth.

252 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1137.

the sword. When the bridge over the river Tivy was broken
down it was a wretched spectacle to see crowds passing to and
fro across a bridge formed by the horrible mass of human
corpses and. horses drowned in the river.

William, archbishop of Canterbury, died at one of his vills,^
on the tw^elfth of the calends of December [20th November],
in the fifteenth year of his patriarchate, and was buried at
Canterbury. Gruy, abbot of Pershore, a man of great
prudence, died on the nones [the oth] of August. Benedict,
abbot of Tewksbury, a man of devoted piety and strict con-
tinence, died on the ides [the 15th] of March.
Removed from this world's strife,
God give them endless life !

[a.D. 1137.] In the month of March, before Easter, which
fell on the fourth of the ides [the 10th] of April, Stephen,
king of England, went over sea, and spent some time in'/
foreign parts. Griffyth-ap-Rhys, king of Wales, perished"^
through the artifices of his wife.^ The Welsh, having suffered
much in the defence of their native land, not only from the
powerful Normans, but also from the Flemings, after numbers
had fallen on both sides, at last subdued the Flemings, and did
not cease to commit devastations on all sides ; plundering and
burning the vills and castles, and putting to death all who
made any resistance, and the helpless as well as the armed.
Among the rest, a knight, they say, of great bravery, whose
name was Pagan us, fell, pierced through the head by a lance
while engaged in capturing and slaying some plundering
Welshmen : his body was carried to Gloucester, and buried in
the monk's chapter house. The city of York was destroyed
by fire, with the principal monastery, on Friday in Whitsun-
w^eek, which fell on the 6th of the ides [the 8th] of June.
Shortly afterwards the city of Rochester was also destroyed

* Probably at his " vill of Westminster," where Henry of Hunting-
don tells us (Hist. p. 254) that this William Curboil, archbishop of
Canterbury, sometimes resided. Huntingdon draws no favourable
character of this prelate, either in his History, p. 262, or in the
" Letter to Warin," pp. 315 and 326.

^ So far from this being the case, Gvvenlian, the wife of Griffyth-
ap-Rhys, prince of South Wales, a woman of a gallant spirit, seconded
her husband's efforts for independence, and, in his absence, took the
field in person at the head of her forces. iSee Giraldus Cambreensis
Itin. i., c. iv., and Dr. Powell's notes : see also Warrington's History
of Wales, p. 293.

A.D. 1137.] MIRACLES AND RELICS. 2^3

l>y fire. On Thursday the fourth of the calends of August
[29th July] the church of Batli, and, in the same month of
August, the city of Leicester, were burnt.

\^3Iiracles at Windsor.']

One day, while the people were attending the celebration
of mass at Windsor, as we have been informed by trustworthy
persons, there was a sudden radiance in the interior of the
church ; and some persons, wondering wliat it was, went
fortli and beheld a strange star shining in the heavens, and
on their return observed that the light within descended from
the star. Miracle succeeded miracle. Many observed the
crucifix which stood on the altar in motion and wrinffini; its
hands, the right with the left, or the left with the right, after
the manner of persons in trouble. After this was done three
times the whole crucifix trembled, and was bathed in sweat
for nearly half an hour, returning afterwards to its former
state.

l^Relics found at Soitthwell.]

At Southwell, a vill of the archbishop's, while a grave was
being made for a funeral, there were found some relics of
saints, and a glass phial with raised sides to prevent its being
broken, and full of very clear water ; which being given to the
sick, they were on tasting it restored to their former health.
I give the first of these miracles jis I heard it ; the last was
related to me by Henry, bisho]) of Winchester.

[Thurstan, archbishop of York, with Roger, bishop of
Salisbury, and some otlior bishops and great men of the
realm, held a council at Northampton, in the hearing of many
persons].^

[^Schism in the Church of Rome — Pope and Anti-pope.]

The see of Rome had now been in an unsettled state for
seven years, in consequence of there being two popes, namely,
Gregory, who was also called Innocent, and Peter, called
Leo, in whose cause a war broke out between Lothaire, em-
peror of the Romans, and Roger, duke of Apulia. Both
these princes abounded in wealth, but the first was the most

' The last parai^raph is evidently an interpolation in this place.
The mcfiting at Northampton is suljsoqucntly inoiitioned with mure
detail in the course of the events of the present year.

254 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1138.

religious as well as superior in dignity ; the latter, to his own
confusion, was moi-e liberal with his gold. But the imperial
majesty, as it is fitting and just, surpasses in all things the
royal dignity. Each appointed a bishop of bishops at Rome,
Lothaire supported Gregory, who was canonically elected ;
Roger granted the papacy of Rome to Peter Leo. But this
mutual strife offending the cardinals and the prefect of the
city, they admitted for lucre, first Gregory, expelling Leo,
and then Leo, expelling Gregory, to the apostolic see. At
last Gregory, appointed by Lothaire, ruled the see of the
aj)ostles. Peter Leo, the whelp of the ancient Peter the Lion,
sits at the Lateran, like another pope. If both were ins|)ired
by the ambition of power, neither was pleasing to God. While
they performed their part in the world, they were reserved
for the judgment of God, whose judgments are profound. In
consequence of this great schism having lasted for so many
years in tlie chief of all the churches throughout the world, a
day was fixed by common agreement among jbhe princes on
which a battle, by way of duel, should be fought between
the two nations, the Romans and Apulians, that God, the
Omnipotent Judge of all, might give the victory to whom he
pleased. The emperor Lothaire, therefore, although he was
suffering from illness, assembled an immense army, and pitched
his camp in Apulia. Roger met him at the head of many
thousand troops, both horse and foot. In the encounter
which ensued, by God's Providence the emperor and his army
obtained the victory, and Roger and his forces were con-
quered, and fled. The royal crown which he had caused to
be made that he might be crowned king, inlaid with gold and
precious stones, and the royal spear, resplendent with gold,
were discovered by treachery, and presented to the emperor
as an acceptable gift. Returning to his own country, he soon
afterwards lost his kingdom and his life. Lewis, king of France,
died ; and was succeeded by his son Lewis. Stephen, king of
England, returned to England in the month of December,
and held his court during. Christmas at Dunstable, a town in
Bedfordshire.

\^A Thuringian Tradition.']

[a.D. 1138.] Conrad [IL], duke of Bavaria, the ninety-ninth
emperor of the Romans, and nephew of Henry the Elder,

A.D. 1138.] A TIIURIN'GIAN TRADITIOX.

2.3.5

wlio liad for empress the daugliter of Henry, king of Eng-
land, died after a reign of twelve years. In former times,
a tribe, migrating from the north, reached the country of
Thuringia, intending to settle there ; and the inhabitants of
tliat country granted them a large portion of their territory,
as the foreigners requested. The people increased and multi-
plied exceedingly. After the la|)se of a long period, they
refused to pay tlie acknowledgment due to the Thuringians.
In consequence, both sides met under arms, as is the custom
of that nation, that the debt might be demanded and paid.
This was done not once only, but a second time, without a
•wound being received on either side ; the third time it was
agreed that both parties should meet unarmed, under a guar-
antee of peace. The great body of foreigners assembled under
an impression of the weakness of the Thuringians, and that
their country was deficient both in counsel and courage for
its good government. On the a})pointed day they came to
the conference, having, by way of caution and self-protection,
tiieir long knives sheathed under their garments. The pro-
ceedings were not conducted peaceably, but with violent dis-
putes. In short, the Thuringians were overcome, the fierce
and alien race triumphed ; for, drawing tlieir long knives,
they slaughtered many of the Thuringians. These inhabitants
of the land were driven with ignominy from their country
and kindred, and nearly all their territory fell into the hands
of those on whom inconstant fortune now smiled. The
country which, up to that time, had been called Thuringia,
then clianged its name, and, fi-om the long knives of the con-
querors, was afterwards called, not Saxony, but, in the
English idiom, Saixony.^

\^Sie(^e of Bedford — Irruption of the Scots.']
The festival days of Christmas being ended,^ Stephen, king
of England, to maintain his regal crown in conformity to his
name,^ put himself at the head of his army and besieged and

' From Sfjex, Anglo-Saxon for a knife, dagger, or short sword.
Adelung, however, rejectinj; this derivation, says that the most likely
derivation is from the old German sass, Ang. Sux siet, an inhabitant,
settler.

* Henry of Huntingdon says that king Stephen began the siege of
Bedford on Christmas-eve.

^ A pun on Tt^ui/oj;, in Greek, a crowD.

256 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1138.

took the castle of Bedford, wliicli stood out against him, as
he had before taken that of Exeter. Receiving intelligence by
a messenger that his enemies^ had made an irruption, and were
devastating the lands, burning the vills, and besieging castles
and towns, he marched with a strong force into Northumbria.
He did not long remain there, having, with some difficulty,
accomplished the object he had in view. Those who are well
acquainted with the facts, relate that, for nearly six months,
a terrible irruption was made by numerous enemies of different
races into Northumbria and the adjacent country, both far
and near. Multitudes were taken, plundered, imprisoned,
and tortured ; ecclesiastics were put to death for the sake of
the property of their churches ; and scarcely any one can com-
pute the number of the slain on the enemy's side or our own.
On the death of the apostolical Leo Peter, Innocent succeeded
him, all who had taken the part of Peter against him making
satisfaction, and being entirely reconciled to him. This pope
consecrated Alberic, abbot of ^ercelli, as bishop of Ostia, on
Easter-day, at Rome.

[How the Devil, in the shape of a black dwarf, was made a

monk.]

About this time reports of the following miracle were cir-
culated in all quarters. There is a noble monastery in the
arch-diocese of Treves called Prum, dedicated to the apostles
St. Peter and St. Paul, and founded in ancient times by Pepin,
kins: of the Franks, the father of Charles the Great. A
strange occurrence is reported by all who were then inmates
of this monastery. One morning, the cellarer, in company
with his servant, having gone into the wine-vault, for the
purpose of procuring wine, as usual, for the sacrifice of the
altar, found one of the casks which he had left full the pre-
ceding day emptied down to the orifice commonly called the
bung- hole, and the wine spilled over all the pavement. In
great dismay at the loss which had happened, he chid sharply
the servitor who was with him, saying that he had fixed the
spigot very negligently the evening before, and that the loss
had thus occurred. After saying this, he enjoined him, under
severe threats, to tell no one what had happened ; fearing
that if it came to the abbot's ears, he would put him out of

^ The Scots, under king David.

A.D. 1138.] TUB DEVIL AMONG THE MONKS. 257

liis office in disgrace. When evening came, before the brethren
retired to rest, he went into the cellar, and having carefully
secured the bung-holes of the vessels in which wine was con-
tained, shut the door, and went to bed.

In the morning, on entering the cellar as usual, he per-
ceived that another cask was emptied as low as the bung-hole,
and the wine spilt, as on the preceding day. At this sight,
not knowing to whose negligence he could lay the blame of
the waste, he was filled with wonder and grief, and repeating
his commands to the servitor to tell no one what had hap-
pened, in the ev^ening before he went to bed he fastened all
the bungs of the casks with the utmost care, and went to his
pallet, sorrowful and anxious. Rising at day-break, and
opening the cellar, he saw, for the third time, that the bung
had been extracted from a cask, and that the wine was spilt
as far as the hole. Being terrified, and not without cause, at
these occurrences, and fearing to conceal any longer the loss
to the community, he hastened to the abbot, and throwing
himself at his feet, told him, in order, all that he had seen.
The abbot, taking counsel with his brethren, ordered that
towards evening tlie bung-holes of all the casks which held
wine should be anointed round with chrism ; which was done.
At dawn of day, the before-mentioned brother going into the
cellar according to his custom, found a wonderfully dwarfish
black boy clinging by the hands to one of the bungs. Hastily
seizing him, and bringing him to the abbot, he said : "Behold,
my lord, this urchin whom you see has done us all the damage
which we have discovered in the cellar ; " after which he
related to him how he had found the boy hanging from the
bung. The abbot, astonished at the singular appearance of
the boy, took counsel, and ordered that a monk's dress should
be j>repared for him, and that he should associate with the
youths who were scholars in the monastery. This was done,
and as the ahl)ot commanded, the boy lived with the young
scholars day and night, but never took meat or drink, and
never spoke either in public or private ; while the others were
taking repose at night or in the noontide hours, he sat upon
his bed, constantly moaning and heaving incessant sighs.
Meanwhile, the abbot of another monastery coming to oiler
his devotions in that church, was detained there for some
days, and the scholar-lads frequently passing before him while

s

258 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER. [a.D. 1138.

he sat witli the abbot and seniors of the monastery, the little
boy, stretching forth his hands towards him, cast a tearful
glance on him, as if he wished to ask him some favour. This
being frequently repeated, the abbot, wondering at his dimi-
nutive appearance, inquired of those who sat with him why
they kept such a little boy in the convent ? They replied,
smiling, " My lord, the lad is not what you suppose ; " and
they told him the loss he had caused them, and how he was
found clinging by the hands to the bung of a cask, and how
he had conducted himself when living among them. On
hearing this, the abbot was alarmed, and, groaning deeply,
exclaimed, " Quickly expel him from your monastery, lest you
incur greater loss, or serious peril ; for he is clearly a devil
lurking in human form, but by the mercy of God protecting
you, through the merits of the saints, whose relics you have
here, he has been unable to do you further injury." At the
command of the abbot of the same monastery, the boy was
immediately brought before him, and while they were in the
act of stripping off his monastic dress, he vanished from their
hands like smoke.

[A council at Northampton.]

Stephen, king of England, held a council at Northampton,
in the octave of Easter, which fell on the fourth of the ides
[the 10 th] of April. Thurstan, archbishop of York, and all
the bishops, abbots, earls, barons, and nobles of England
took their seats at it. In this council an archdeacon named
Robert, the choice of some few, was appointed bishop of the
church of Exeter, then vacant by the death of its bishop,
Willifim de Warewast. Two abbeys were also given away ;
that of Winchcombe to a monk of Cluni, as it is said a rela-
tion of the king, named Robert ; the other, that of York, to
a monk of the same abbey. One of these, the abbot-elect of
Winchcombe, was ordained abbot of that monastery by ]the
venerable Simon, bishop of Worcester, on the eleventh of the
calends of June [22nd May].

\Boyal visit to Gloucester. 1

The king, breaking up his camp at Northampton, marched
towards Gloucester, and when his approach was known, the
citizens met him more than five miles on the road with great

A.D. 1138.J Stephen's expeditions. 2.59

joy, and conducted him into their city, receiving very graciously
the honours they paid hiiu. On his arrival there, on the third
Rogation day [10th ^lay,] the monks received him with pro-
cessional pomp, and he ottered on the altar his royal ring,
which the king's chaplains redeemed lor fifty sliillings and
brought back to him the same day. From thence Milo, who
was then his constable, conducted him with great honour to
the royal palace, where the next day the citizens swore alle-
giance to him. On the third day, being Thursday, the king
returned with his attendants to the abbey, and joyfully assisted
at masses and processions in honour of our Lord's Ascension.

[Stephen marches to Hereford.]

The festival being concluded, the king, having heard that
the castle of Hereford was fortified against him, put liimself at
the head of a powerful expedition, and pitched his camj)
against it, finding on his arrival that the report he had heard
was true. Wlierefore he remained there for the space of
nearly four or five weeks, and issued orders throughout
England that bodies of troops should march to support him in
putting down all who opposed his royal title.

Meanwhile, the city of Hereford, below the bridge over the
river Wye, was burnt before his eyes. Not long afterwards,
the lamentable conflagration of the city of Oxford reached the
ears of the king and his court. Tlie garrison of Hereford,
perceiving of a surety by the numbers and strength of the
royal army, that the king would triumph over them, made
terms and surrendered to him. And since Stephen was, nay
is,^ a loving and peaceable king, he injured no one, but suf-
fered his enemies to depart free. The king also took the
fortified place called Wibbeleage,^ which Geoffrey de Talbot
had lield against him, but afterwards evacuated. It was by his
devices and ability that the king's adversaries were supported
in breaking the peace. The aforesaid castles and that of Here-
ford were garrisoned by the king's troops.

Meanwhile, Alberic, the before mentioned bishop of Ostia,
came to England commissioned as apostolical legate to root

' Florence, it will be observed, speaks of what was actually passing,
and seems, from liis connection with Worcester, to have espoused the
cause of k'uvj^ Stephen,

^ Weobiey, in Herefordshire.

8 2

2G0 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1138.

out and destroy, build up and plant, all things that required
it. The letters from the apostolical see having been read in
the presence of the king and the nobles of England, out of
reverence for the apostolical see, he was at length received,
though not at first. Making a progress throughout England,
lie noted everything, and kept in mind whatever needed cor-
rection by the provision and appointment of a council.

The king having spent some time at Hereford departed with
his troops. The city, thus deprived of the royal presence, was
burnt, beyond the river Wye, by the before-named Geoffrey,
on the eighteenth of the calends of July [the 15th June],
none of our own people, but seven or eight of the Welsh,
having been killed. I omit saying anything of the blood-shed
of many others, for I am ignorant respecting it ; but this 1

pray:

May Christian souls in everlasting rest
Be with the saints, their warfare ended, blest j
And John' corrected, if there ought occur,
In which the reader finds his pages err!

[The Bishops arrested.]

Then the king, when the Nativity of St. John [24th June]
was near, proceeded to Oxford, and hearing that the castle of
Devizes was fortified against him, sent messengers to Roger,
bishop of Salisbury, the founder of the castle, who was then
at Malmesbury, commanding him to come and confer with
him. It is said that the bishop undertook this journey with
great reluctance, believing that he should never return ; taking
with him his two nephews, the bishops of Lincoln and Ely,
and a large retinue of mounted and well-armed soldiers.
Seeing this, the king, suspecting treason, ordered his followers
to arm themselves and be ready to defend him, if need should
arise. While the king was engaged with the bishops in treat-

^ We are here furnished with the name of the writer of this con-
tinuation of the Chronicle of Florence of Worcester. He must have
been living when Ordericus Vitalis visited Worcester, in his joux'ney
to England, about the year 1124. Both their works and probably
their lives closed in 1141. Ordericus tells us that he saw at Worcester
the continuation on which John was, doubtless, engaged at the time
of his visit; but he is mistaken in attributing the original Chronicle
to this John, instead of Florence. See the remarks in the preface to
this volume, and a note in vol. i., p. 493, of Ordericus Vitalis, Bohn's
Antiq. Lib.

A.D. 1138.] THE BISHOPS ARRESTED. 261

Iiig of various aftairs, a furious quarrel arose between the two
j)arties of soldiers respecting their quarters; and tlie king's
troops flying to arms, the bishops' men took to flight, leaving
all their baggage behind, Roger, bishop of Salisbury, with
the bishop of Lincoln and his son Roger, surnamed The Poor,
were taken ; the bishop of Ely made his escape, and havino;
reached the castle of Devizes, fortified it and held it against
the king. The king, much incensed, went in pursuit of him,
placing the bishops he had arrested in custody ; Roger in the
crib of an ox-house, and the other in a mean hut, while he
threatened to hang the third, unless the castle was speedily
surrendered to him. Roger finding this, and alarmed for his
son, bound himself by an oath that he would neither eat nor
drink until the king had possession of the castle ; which oath
he kej)t, and neither ate nor drank for tliree days.^

[Transactions at Bristol and Bath, Sfc]

The king proceeded thenee with his royal attendants to
London. But Geoffrey de Talbot, deserting with his followers,
went over to the son of the earl of Gloucester, who held
Bristol castle against the king, and devoted himself to its
defence. One dav, under colour of giving assistance to a
certain straggler, but more, as it subsequently appeared, with
a view to reconnoitre Bath and afterwards assault it, he took
liis way there in company with two valiant knights, William
Hoset and another.''^ This being discovered, Robert, the
bisliop of Bath, thinking to triumph over the king's enemies,
drew out a body of soldiers, and marched cautiously against
him. Two of them fled, but Geoffrey was taken and placed
in custody. The garrison of Bristol, being much enraged at
this, marched to Bath with a threatening aspect under the
son of the earl, their lord, and sent a message to the bishoj),
threatening that unless their comrade, Geoffi'ey, was released,

' Ct". the account of the circumstances attending the seizure of the
bishops and their castles, in Henry of Huntingdon s History, p. 271,
Autit/. Lib ; (iesta Stephani, ibid, 370, &c.; and William of Malmes-
bury, ibid, 507.

^ In the " Gesta Stephani," we find that Geoffrey's cousin, Gilbert
de liacy, was his conij)anion in this enterprise. See in this work fuller
detiiils than those given by our author, of the transactions of this year
in the West of Englandj p. 350 — 357.

262 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1138.

they would hang the bishop and his followers on a gallows.
Upon this, the bishop, apprehensive, like a mercenary soldier,
for the lives of himself and his people, brought forth Geoffrey
from custody, and delivered him to them, in compliance with
their demands. When this reached the king's ears, he was
inflamed with anger against the bishop, regarding him as the
abettor of his enemies ; and he would probably have taken
from him his pastoral staiF, though in so doing he would rather
have been actuated by his animosity than by his love of peace.
But as the bishop had acted under restraint and against his
will, the king " gave not place to his wrath," upon which,
according to the apostolical precept, it is sinful to " let the
sun go down."

Soon afterwards the king moved his army towards Bristol,
where, in those times, infernal cruelties, befitting the reigns
of Nero or Decius, were exercised by a kinsman of the earl,
whose name was Philip Gray. By his agency, a variety of
bitter torments were invented there, which, afterwards
introduced far and wide in every part of England, nearly
reduced the island to ruin. The king, therefore, having
wasted and burnt the lands and vills of the earl of Glou-
cester in that neighbourhood, besieged the castle for some
time. At last, weary of the length of the siege, he drew oft
to besiege the earl's other castles, CarifF in Dorsetshire,^ and
Harptree in Somersetshire, and having constructed forts
over against them, and garrisoned them with soldiers, he
departed, and marched with his whole army to attack Dudley
Castle, which Ralph Paganel had fortified against^ him.
Having given the surounding country to the flames, and
seized and carried oft" large herds of cattle, he went by sea,
with a large body of troops, to besiege Shrewsbury Castle,
which William Fitz- Allan held against him. Hearing, how-
ever, of the king's approach, he secretly escaped, with his
wife and children, and some others, leaving those in the
castle who had sworn to be true to him, and never surrender
it. After the castle had been besieged for some days, accord-
ing to the accounts of those who were well-informed, a ma-
chine of this sort was prepared : — A large structure of
timber was put together and brought forward ; the castle

' Castle Gary, as well as Harptree, is in Somersetshire.

A. D. 1138.] BATTLE OF THE STANDARD. 263

dit<jh was filled by the king's command ; fire was kindled ;
and the smoke, rising in the air, smothered all. Tlie royal gate
liaving been forced open, the whole garrison attem])ted to make
their escape miserably, by leaping from or creeping out of the
castle; but the king gave orders that they should be pursued
and put to death. Five of the men of higl)est rank among
them were hung. The enemy being vanquisihed, tiie king
departed tlience and proceeded to attack Wareliam ; but a
treaty having been entered into, Ralph Paganel and the king
made a truce for a time.

Meanwhile, tlie before-mentioned earl of Bristol, and Mih)
the constable, having made a league against the king, and
al)jured the fealty wiiich they had sworn to him, despatched
envoys to invite the ex-empress, king Henry's daughter ;
promising her that within the space of five months she should
}>e in possession of her father's kingdom, according to the
allegiance which had been sworn to her in his lifetime. This
was the beginning of troubles. This defection, tlie most
serious of all, nay, almost the concluding one, brought ruin
on the whole country.

[Irruption of the Scots, and Battle of the Standard.]

Durino: these events, David, king of Scotland, made a third
irruption from the borders of his kingdom, with large bands
both of horse and foot, and began to set on fire farms, towns,
and castles, on the confines of Northumbria, and lay waste
nearly all the country. But as he threatened at last to
])ursue his inroad as far as York and the Humber, Thurstan,
archbishop of York, had a conference with the Yorkshiremen,
and prevailed on tliem all, with one consent, to take the oath
of fealty to king Stephen, and resist the king of Scots.
Davi<l, however, was still more incensed at this, and rejecting
all advice to the contrary, and reaching the river Tees on the
octave of the Assumption of St. Mary [22nd August], which
happened on a Monday, he determined to surprise our troops,
tliere being a thick fog in the morning of that day. Hoping,
in consequence, to come upon us unawares, he left many
vills untouched, and would not suffer his men to set fire to
any place, as they usually did. Meanwhile, our troops being
warned by a squire, though somewhat late so that they were

264 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1138.

nearly taken by surprise, armed themselves, and drew up in
order of battle with the utmost despatch, sending out archers
in fi'ont, by whom the Scots were severely galled. Then the
king's barons marched with the knights, having all dis-
mounted and stationed themselves in the first rank, and thus
fought hand-in-hand with the enemy. The conflict was
ended, and victory secured at the very first onset, for the
Scots gave way, and either fell or fled in the greatest alarm.
Our men, however, being on foot, and having caused all their
horses to be led to some distance, were unable to continue
the pursuit long, otherwise they would have taken or put to
the sword the king himself, with his son, and all his immediate
attendants. Of his army, nearly ten thousand men fell in
different places, and as many as fifty persons of rank were
made prisoners. The vanquished king himself escaped by
flight, overwhelmed with terror and shame. His chancellor,
William Comyn, was taken by the bishop of Durham ; but
being set at liberty, he gave thanks to God, heartily hoping
he should never again fall into such a scrape. The kings
son reached Carlisle on foot, attended by a single knight ; and
his father escaped with some difficulty through the woods and
thickets to Roxburgh. He had led an innumerable army con-
sisting of French, as well as English, Scots, Galwegians, and
the people of all the isles which owed him allegiance, but nine-
teen only out of two hundred of his mailed knights carried
back their armour ; for every one left nearly all that he had
to become the spoil of the enemy, so that an immense booty,
both of horses, arms, and clothing, and many other things,
was taken from his army. Eustace Fitz-John, who had
joined his expedition, met with a similar fate, having been
wounded, and barely escaping with life to his castle. Among
the valiant men who, in Christ's name, fought on behalf of
king Stephen, were the earl of Albemarle, Bernard de
Baliol, and many others, but the earl was distinguished for
his bravery in the battle.^

On his return, the king of Scots, in order to encourage his
adherents and console himself, laid siege with all his force,

' A more detailed account of this famous " Battle of the Standard "
will be found in Henry of Huntingdon's History, pp. 267, &c. \_Antig.
Lib.}, and in Roger of Wendover, ibid, p. 489. Cf. also William of
Newbury, Trivet, and Rieval " de Bello Standard!," in Twysden

A.D. 1138.] D.VVID OP SCOTLAND DEFEATED. 265

and various engines and machines, to the castle of VVark, or
Carron, belonging to Walter d' Epec, from which he had been
driven b}- the earl of Mellent ; but the garrison making a
stout and desperate resistance, lie had no success, for they made
frequent sallies, and either cut in j)ieces or burnt his engines,
besides killing many of his soldiers ; wherefore, at last, he
despaired of being able to take it.

[Atmospheric phenomena — Great wealth left by Roger,
Bishop of Saluhury.\

On the seventh day of the month of October, when the
moon was twenty-nine days old, in the dusk of the evening
before Saturday, the whole firmament towards the north
appeared of a red colour, and rays of various hues were seen
blended and flitting. Perhaps these signs portended the
vast effusion of blood in Northumberland, and many other
places throughout England, of which we have spoken. A
most pious monk, named Wilham, belonging to the cell of
Eye, having been elected, was ordained abbot of Pershore by
Simon, bishop of Worcester, on Sunday, the twelfth of the
calends of December [20th November! Roger, bishop of
Salisbury, a groat builder of castles and fortified mansions,
being worn to death with grief and vexation, died at his
episcopal seat on the second of the nones [the 4tlj] of De-
eembei", and was buried in that church, leaving in his castles
immense sums of money, which fell not into the hands of
God, but of king Stephen. There are those who say that
more than forty thousand silver marks w^re found there, and
tliat he had likewise hoarded a vast amount of gold, and a
variety of ornaments, and knew not for whom he had gathered
them.^ He enriched the church dedicated to St. Mary, mother
of Gorl, with magnificent ornaments.

[A Synod held at London.^

In the year of our Lord lli38, and in tlie ninth of the
pontificate of poj)e Innocent, and the third of the reign of
king Stephen, a synod was held at London, in the church of

' For the character of Ropier, bishop of Salisbury, see " Gesta
Ste[-liani," p. 370, and Williiiui of Malmcsbury, p. 607.

266 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER, [a.B. 1130.

St. Peter the apostle, at Westminster, on the thirteenth of
the month of Deoemh»er. In this synod, after much canvass-
ing, SLsteen canons were published with universal consent.
It was presided ov-er by Alberie, bishop of Ostia, the legate
of the said lord pope in England and Scotland; and attended
by the bishops of different dioceses, to the number of seven-
teen, by about t hirty abbots, and an immense multitude of the
clergy and people.

^A new Abbot at Gloucester.]

f A.D. 1139. The feast of our Lord's Xativiry being passed,
and that of the Purilication of St. Marv, his mother, drawing
nigh, the venerable father Walter, abbot of Gloucester, ga^
up the ghost about the third hour of the day, after hold-
ing his preferment nine years and a half ; he was buried by
the venerable abbots, Reynold of Evesham, and Roger <
Tewksbuiy, on the sixth of the ides [the 8th] of FebniarA'.
After lus interment, two of the brethren were sent to Clur '
to fetch our^ lord-elect, Gilbert ; king Stephen having, on th
report of his eminent worth, and at the request of Milo, h>
et^nstable, conferred upon him at London the preferment c:
the abbey of Gloucester. Theobald, archbishop of Canter-
bury. Simon, bishop of Worcester, Roger, bishop of Coventry
Robert, bishop of Exeter, and Reynold, abbot of Eveshaii..
having been unanimously chosen, proceeded bv the pope -
command to the threshold of St. Peter. On their arrival.
they were received with great honour by the apostolic see,
and allowed seats in the Roman council, a circumstance
widioot paraUd for many ages before. Having there freely
opened their business, they returned home with joy. bringing
with them the synodal decrees, now recorded far and wide
throughout England. The two mouks who had been sent to
bring over the lord-abbot Gilbert, also retiimed in safety, and
presented him to king Stephen, who received him graciously,
and conferred on him, to hold freely, the fief of the church of
Gloucester. He came to Worcester on the feast of Whitsun-
tide, which fell on the third of the ides [the 11th] of June,

^ It has been siroposed, from this expression, that the continuator
was a monk of Gloucester ; bat he speaks thus of the new abbot as
beio^ii^ to bis own diocese of Worcester.

A.D. 1139.] Stephen's progress. 267

and was there ordained, with great rejoioinirs and di^Tne
lauds, by the venerable Robert, bishop of Hereford ; and
going from thence on the following day, wns installed at
Gloucester with great joy and exultation, and the acclama-
tions of the commonalty of both orders, in a manner befitting
such a man in the Lord.

[Kin^ SUph^n at Worcester^ Hereford, and Oxford.]

Within the octave of Easter, which happened on the second
of the calends of May [30th April], Stephen, the magnificent
king of England, coming to Worcester, with a royal retinue,
was received with great festivity by the clergy and the people
of the city and neighbourhood, in solemn procession. The
prayers being endet), and the blessing given as usual, the
king took his royal ring from his finger, and offered it on the
altar; and on the morrow it was returned to him, by common
consent of the monks. Therefore the king, remarking with
surprise the humility and devotion of the flock of the church
of Worcester, yea, rather of the Lord, took back his ring, as
he had been adjured to do for the love of St. 3tlary, mother
of God. After his departure from Worcester, the king en-
camped at Ludlow, where he caused forts to be erected in two
positions, and stationed strong bodies of troops in them to
assault the castle, which held out against him ; and then
returning, by way of Worcester, marched towards London.
Some of the soldiers, unsparing in their execrable warfare,
and driven by their headstrong courage, determined to try
their strength on Ludlow. To ac-complish this undertaking,
large bodies of troops began to flock together. It was truly
a pitiable sight to l>ehold one poising his spear acainst
another, and running him through ; thus putting him to death,
without thinking what would be the judgment the spirit
would receive. Eut king Stephen checked such designs, by
the terror of his threats; and going a se<- ' ' ^"^e to Ludlow,
by way of Worcester, settled all tliings , 'y, and then

made a quiet and joyful journey to Oxford — that is, the
ox-ford. While he stayed there, a charge of r- ' '^' • -- - -ly

requiring it, he arrested Roger, bi^lJop of S is

nephew, the bishop of Lincoln, and also Roger, his chancellor,
for engaging in a treasoiuible oon^Mncr against his crcwn.

2G8 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1139.

an(J committed them to custody. On hearing this, Nigel, bishop
of Ely, fearing for himself and his adherents, fled with a body
of soldiers to Devizes, that he might find protection there.
The case of these bishops has been already more fully stated
in this work ;^ but it appears to have been brought to a point
in the present year. In a council afterwards held it was
enacted that all fortified towns^ castles, and strong places
whatever, throughout England, devoted mainly to secular
purposes, should submit to the jurisdiction of the king and his
barons ; but that churchmen, namely, the bishops, whom I will
call God's watch-dogs, should not cease to bark in defence of
their flock, and take every care lest the invisible wolf, their
malignant foe, should tear and scatter the sheep.

[The Empress and the Earl, her Brother, land in England. ^

In the month of October, the earl of Gloucester, son of
king Henry, late king of England, but a bastard, with his
sister by the father's side, formerly empress of the Romans,
and now countess of Anjou, returned to England with a large
army, and landed at Portsmouth, before the feast of St. Peter
ad Yincula, on the calends [the 1st] of August, while the
king was besieging Marlborough ; and their arrival filled all
England with alarm. On receiving this intelligence, Stephen,
king of England, was much disturbed in his mind, and in
great wrath with those whose duty it was vigilantly to guard
the sea-ports. He is the king of peace, and would that he
were also the king of vigour and justice, treading under foot
his enemies, determining all things by the balance of equal
justice, and in the power of his might protecting and strength-
ening the friends of peace. When, however, he learned that
the ex-queen^ had received the ex-empress, with her large
band of retainers, at Arundel, he was much displeased, and
marched his army thither. But she, being awed by the king's
majesty, and fearing that she might lose the rank she held in
England, swore solemnly that no enemy of his had come to
England on her invitation ; but that, saving her dignity, she
had granted hospitality to persons of station, who were for-
merly attached to her. The king, on hearing this, dismissed

' See before, p. 260.

^ Alice, widow of Henry I., who had Arundel Castle for her dower.

A.D. 1139.] THE EMPRESS MATILDA. 2G9

her, and ordered the bishop of Winchester to conduct the ex-
enipress with lionoiir, as slie was his cousin, to her brother, at
I'ristol castle, while he himself went in pursuit of the earl.
But hearing nothing certain about him, for he had taken to
certain by-roads for a time, he led his troops to another
quarter, as ho had planned. Milo, the constable, having ab-
jured his oath of allegiance to the king, went over to the earl
of Gloucester, his liege-lord, with a large body of troops, pro-
mising him on his fealty to lend him help against the king.
The calamities which flowed from this quarter, namely, the
city of Bristol, and spread over all England, are beyond the
knowledge or eloquence of man to describe ; for of those who
opposed him, or obeyed the royal authority, as many as could
be taken were made prisoners, and all the captives were
thrown into chains, and subjected to horrible tortures. New
varieties of cruel punishment were invented ; mercenary
troops were enlisted in every direction for carrying on the
work of destruction, to whom w^as giv'en, or sold for their pay,
the inhabitants of the villages and farms, with all their goods
and substance.^

[The Empress at Bristol Castle — Cruelties at Gloucester.^

This lady stayed at Bristol more than two months, receiving
liomage from all, and exercising the prerogatives of the croun
of England at her pleasure. She went there in the month of
October, and came on the eighteenth of the calends of No-
vember [15th October] to Gloucester, where she received the
submission and homage of the citizens and the people of the
neighbourhood. But tortures worthy of Decius and Nero,
and death in various shapes, were inflicted on those who
refused to do her homage, and chose to maintain their fealty
to the king ; and the city, glorious in ])ast ages, was filled
with shrieks and fearful torments, and became horrible to
those who inhabited it. In the midst of these miseries the
king laid siege to the castle of Wallingford, which stood out
against him. Weary of the long siege, and having erected
forts in opposition to it, he marched away, and encamped near
Malmesbury, where he also threw up works against his adver-
saries, the authors of rebellion:

" See an account of these atrocities in the " Gesta Stophani,""
p. 353.

270 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1139.

[The City and Cathedral of Worcester Sacked.]

Meanwhile sad tidings came to the ears of the citizens of
Worcester. It was generally reported that the city would,
ere long, be sacked by the enemy, and, having been pillaged,
be set on fire. Terrified by these reports, the citizens of
Worcester consulted as to what was best to be done. After
this council they had recourse for refuge in their misery to
the sanctuary of the most high God the Father, and his most
blessed Mother, and committed themselves and all theirs to
his divine protection, under their patron saints, SS. Oswald
and Wulfstan, bishops of that city. Then might be seen
crowds of the citizens carrying their goods into the church.
Oh, wretched sight ! Behold the house of God, which should
have been entered with oblations, where the sacrifice of praise
should have been ofi'ered, and the most solemn vows paid,
seems now but a warehouse for furniture ! Behold the prin-
cipal conventual church of the whole diocese is converted
into quarters for the townsmen, and a sort of council-chamber ;
for little room is left for the servants of God in a hostelry
crowded with chests and sacks. Within is heard the chaunt
of the clergy, without the M'^ailing of children ; and the notes of
the choir are mingled with the sobs of infants at the breast,
and the cries of sorrowing mothers. Oh, misery of miseries
to behold ! There stands the high altar, stripped of its orna-
ments, the crucifix removed, and the image of Mary, the most
holy Mother of God, taken away. Curtains and palls, albs
and copes, stoles and chasubles, are secreted in recesses of the
walls. All that gave grace and pomp to the celebration of
divine service, on the festivals of the saints, all the wonted
magnificence, had vanished. These things were all put out of
the way, from fear of the enemy, lest he should come upon
tliem by surprise, and sweeping off all he could lay hands on,
succeed in his insane enterprise.

In the beginning of the winter, one morning at day-break,
namely, on Tuesday, the seventh of the ides [the 7th] of No-
vember, when we were engaged in the church at lauds,^ and

^ It will be observed that our author here speaks of himself as one
of the monks of the church of Worcester engaged in the choir ser-
vice, when these trying occurrences, which he describes as an eye-
witness, took place.

A.D. 1139.] "WORCESTER SACKED, 271

had already chaunted primes, behold the reports we had heard
tor many days were realised. A numerous and powerful army
arrived from the south, the centre of mischief. The city of
Gloucester had risen in arms, and, supported by a countless
host of horse and foot, marched to attack, pilhige, and burn
the city of Worcester. We now, in alarm for the treasures of
the sanctuary, put on our albs, and, while the bells tolled,
V)ore the relies of Oswald, our most gentle patron, out of the
church, in suppliant procession ; and, as the enemy were
rushing in from one gate to the other, carried them througl*
the cemetery. The enemy, collected in a body, hasten first
to assault a strong fort, which stands in the southern quarter
of the city, near the castle. Our people make a brave and
obstinate resistance. The enemy being repulsed at this point,
as beacons were lighted on the north side of the city, they
endeavour to make an entrance in that quarter. I'here being
no fortifications on that side, the entire host rushes tumul-
tuously in, mad with fury, and sets tire to the houses in many
j)arts. Alas ! a considerable portion of the city is destroyed,
but most of it remains standing and unburnt. Immense
I)lunder is carried off, consisting of chattels of all kinds, from
the city, and of oxen, sheep, cattle, and horses from the
country. Many people are taken in the streets and suburbs,
and dragged into miserable captivity, coupled like hounds.
Wliether they have the means, or have them not, whatever
their cruel foes fix for their ransom they are forced to promise
on oath to pay, and to discharge the amount. These things
are done on the first day of a winter, which will, doubtless, be
very severe to the wretched sufferers.

And now, the plunder being carried off, and numbers of
buildings burnt, the host of tierce revellers draw off, never to
return on such a foul enterprise. The earP came to Wor-
cester on the thirteenth of November, and, beholding the
ravages of the flames, mourned over the city, and felt that the
evil was done to himself. Wherefore, burning for revenge,

' Not the earl of Gloucester, it is evident. The author's words are
— Comes civilatts Wigomiam venit. During the reii^a of Henry 1.
Waller de lieaucharup was vi.'^count or sheriff of Worcestershire, in
right of his wifV; Eniincline, daughter and heiress of Urso d'Ahitol,
appointed to that ottice by the (Joncjueror. On the accession of
kia{^ Stephen he deprived William de Jieauchamp, who had succeeded

272 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER. [a.D. 1139.

he hastened to Sudely, with a body of troops, having heard
that John Fitz-Harold had revolted against the king, atid
joined the earl of Gloucester. If it be inquired what the
earl did there, the reply is such as it is scarcely fit to record :
returning evil for evil, he seized the people, their goods, and
cattle ; and, carrying them off, returned the next day to
Worcester.

\King Stephen at Worcester and Hereford.']

After these events, the king, with a large army, marched
from Oxford to Worcester ; and, having before his eyes what
he had before heard of its disaster, he mourned over it. Halting
there for three or four days, he conferred the dignity of con-
stable, of which he had deprived Milo of Grloucester, on
William, the son of Walter de Beauchamp, sheriff of Wor-
cestershire.^ Here a report reached the king that his enemiee,
having violated their sworn promises of peace, had assaulted
Hereford, and forced an entrance into the monastery of St.
Ethel bert, king and martyr, as if it had been a fortified castle.
The king, therefore, put himself in march, and encamped at
Little Hereford, or Leominster, where some of the inhabitants,
taking counsel, swore fealty to him ; while others refusing,
sent him this message : " Although we will not swear, the
king may, if he pleases, trust to the truth of our words."
The holy days of Advent being close at hand [3rd December],
a truce was agreed on betw^een them, and the king returned

his father, Walter, of that dignity, and for a time gave the castle and
city of Worcester to Waleran, earl of Mellent, with the title of earl
of Worcester. This nobleman is therefore probably the person meant
by our author; and what appears in the text is agreeable to the cha-
racter given of him by the author of " Gesta Stephani," p. 309. He
did not, however, long retain his honours in Worcestershire, being
deprived of them by the empress Maud.

^ See the preceding note. We are unable to account for this act of
favour on the part of king Stephen to one of a family who were the
most strenuous adherents of Henry I., his daughter the empress, and
Henry HI.; under all whom they held the offices of steward sheriff of
Worcestershire and Warwickshire, and constable. William de Beau-
champ, fourth in descent from Walter, married Isabel, the heiress of
WiUiam Mauduit, earl of Warwick ; acquired that title in her right,
and became the ancester of the powerful family of Beauchamp of
Warwick. The earls Beauchamp of the present day are descended
from Walter, of Powick, a younger son of William and Isabel.

A.D. 1140.] KING Stephen's progresses. 273

to Worcester, where a certain clerk of eminent piety, Maurice
by name, who had been elected by the clergy and people to
the church of Bangor, was presented to the king at tlie castle,
by Robert, bishop of Hereford, and Sigefrid, bishop of
Chichester, wlio, bearing him company, attested his canonical
election and fitness for the office of bishop ; and the king con-
firmed the appointment. But being urged by the bishops to
do homage to tlie king, he replied that he could in no wise do
so. " There is," he said, " among us a man of great piety,
whom I consider as my spiritual father, and who was arch-
deacon to my predecessor David, and he forbade me to take
this oath." To which they made answer, " Reason requires
that you should do as we have done." Whereupon he said,
" If you, who are men of high authority, have done this, I will
not further hesitate to do the same." He therefore swore
fealty to the king.

[Kinff Stephen goes to Oxford j and thence to Salisbury.']

From Worcester the king proceeded to Oxford, and from
thence, with his court, to Salisbury, where he intended to
celebrate the feast of Christmas, and, as was the royal custom,
to wear his crown. The canons presented him with two
thousand pounds, and he granted them entire exemption from
all taxes on their lands ; moreover, he gave them twenty
marks for their own use, and forty for roofing the church ;
and promised that when peace was restored, he would refund
to them what they had bestowed upon him.

[The King at Reading — Marches against Ely.']

[a.d. 1140.] A few days after Christmas, the king and
his court proceeded to Reading, where a lesson is taught by
the lot of mortals concerning the little value of kingly pomp.^
While there, by the advice of his council, he gave pastors of
their own to two abbeys, Malmesbury and Abbotsbury, which
bishop Roger, as long as he lived, had shorn of their honours
and kept in his own hands. Malmesbury abbey he bestowed
on John, a monk of great worth, and that of Abbotsbury on
another named Geoftrey. Then, in order to secure peace,

' This is probably an allusion to the pompous intormont of Henry
II., not long before, in the abbey of Reading. See p. 250.

T

274 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1140.

and put an end to warfare, wliicli I call a vain thing, he pre-
pared an expedition against Ely ; a measure much to be de-
plored, because it tended to increase the arrogance of the
soldiery, by satisfying their love of vain glory. They enlist
themselves, they accept the terms, they array themselves in
arms, and the conqueror seizes all that belongs to the van-
quished, according to stipulations founded on the detestable
love of gain ; and, if I may compare great things with small,
■they whisper to one another, like Judah and his brother
Jonathan, dwelling in the land of Gilead, to Joseph and
Azarias : " Let us also get us a name, and go fig'ht against
the heathen that are round about us."^ They deal wounds
with sword and spear, little heeding what will be the fat« of
the miserable souls of the slain. During the rebellion of
those who revolted against the king, many on both sides were
wounded, taken prisoners, and thrown into confinement. The
bishop of Ely, finding the valour of the king and the impetu-
osity of his troops, gave way, nay, fled like a hireling, and
retiring to the neighbourhood of Gloucestershire, went over
to earl Robert. Nor was it to be wondered at, for he had
lost, as it were, his right hand, when his uncle, Roger, bishop
of Salisbury, died. The king took possession of Ely castle,
and placed his own soldiers in it.^

[Thurstan, Archbishop of York, retires to Ponfefract.]

Thurstan, the twenty-sixth archbishop of York in succes-
sion, a man advanced in years and full of days, put off the
old man and put on the new, retiring from worldly affairs,
and becoming a monk at Pontefract, on the twelfth of the ides
of February [21st January], and departing this life in a good
old age, on the nones [the 5thJ of February, he lies buried
there.

[Winchcomhe and other places attacked.]

Milo, the ex-constable, having assembled a numerous body
of troops, assaulted Winchcombe on Thursday, the second of
the calends of February [31st January], and burnt the
greatest part of the place, which he plundered ; and carried
off those whom he had stripped of their goods, to exact from

^ Maccab, e. v. 55—57. ^ See « Gesta Stephani," pp. 371—373.

AD. 1140.] THE CIVIL WARS. 275

them, most unjustly, the ^lammon of unrighteousness [in the
shape of ransom]. Thence he diverged to Sudely, but whilst
he was meditating an attack, the royal garrison of the place
fell on him, and forced him to retreat, leaving, as it is re-
ported, two of his men dead on the spot, and fifteen taken
prisoners. The king and the earl of Worcester came with a
large army to Worcester, and after a few days, the earl first,
and tlien the king, advanced to Little Hereford in great force,
for the purpose of driving out their enemies. During the
king's abode in those parts, the earl, mindful of tlie injuries
received from his townsmen, attacked Tewkesbury with a
strong body of men-at-arms, and burnt the magnificent house
of the earl of Gloucester, which was within a mile of Glou-
cester, and everything in its vicinity, as well as some property
belonging to others ; but, yielding to the supplications of the
lord abbot and monks of Tewkesbury, he spared their posses-
sions. Having taken much spoil, both of men and of their
goods and cattle, he was moved by clemency to order the
release of the captives, and permit them to return to their
homes ; and on the morrow he returned to Worcester, declar-
ing to all that he had scarcelv ever made such a confla2:ration
either in Xormandy or England. The king, also, on his return
to Worcester, set forward on the road to Oxford.

The before-mentioned Maurice and Uhtred were conse-
crated bishops of Bangor and LlandaiF by Theobald, arch-
bishop of Canterbury, assisted by the bishops of Hereford
and Exeter. The king, on his arrival at Winchester, by the
advice of his barons, gave the bishopric of Salisbury to Philip,
his chancellor, and the abbey of Fecamp to Henry, a monk
who was his kinsman. The sun was eclipsed while the moon was
in the tail of the Dragon, but it illumined the head.

A compact was made between Philip, king of France, and
Ste])hen, king of England, after consulting their barons, that
Steplien's son should marry the sister of the king of France.
The betrothal took place abroad in the month of February,
in the presence of the queen-mother of England and a great
number of English nobles there assembled.

[Hobert FitZ'Huhertj a Freebooter.]

Tliere was a certain knight, whose name was Robert, the
son of a nobleman named Hubert. This man, fearing neither

T 2

276 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1140.

God nor man, but trusting solely to his own might, took the
castle of Malmesbury by a well-devised stratagem. Some of
the king's knights, who were quartered there, took refuge in
the church of St. Aldhelm, the bishop, for sanctuary. Pressing
these to surrender, he one day burst into the chapter-house
of the monks, at the head of armed men, and with terrible
threats required them, on pain of confiscation of their pro-
perty, to give up the illustrious royalists, with their
horses. They, however, in horror at permitting the
peace of God, and their patron, St. Aldhelm, being
broken, refused to consent to his demand ; but at last, al-
though reluctantly, to appease his fury, they gave up the
horses. After Robert Fitz-Hubert had held the castle for
some time, and had exhausted the whole neighbourhood by -
his ravages, the king came to its succour, and besieged the
place for nearly eight days. William d'Ypres, a kinsman, they
say, of this Robert, was the go-between for the surrender of
the castle, and settled, at last, with the king, terms of peace —
the castle being given up, with entire submission to his royal
rights ; which was done.

Meanwhile, Robert joined the earl of Gloucester, proposing
to stay with him for a time, but all the while meditating
treachery. Not long afterwards, as he had neither sense nor
inclination to follow a right course, but still thirsted for
blood, he betook himself, with his own retainers, to Devizes,
without the earl's knowledge ; and having first made a com-
pact with his followers, that the castle, once taken, should
never be surrendered, he scaled the wall by force or strata-
gem,^ and sounded the note of triumph to the king's soldiers
in the garrison, stormed by surprise the exterior forts, and
made many the victims of his cruelty. Four days afterwards,
by force or fraud, he got possession of the citadel within, and,
in the pride of his heart, ravaged every part of the neigh-
bourhood by day and by night, doing incessantly all the
damage he could. At last, he repaired to John, a knight of
renown, who then held the castle of Marlborough under fealty
to the king, and required him, with threats, to follow his

^ He gained the summit in the night time by means of scaling ladders
made of thongs. Cf. the account of this ruffian in the " Gesta
Stephani," pp. 374, &c. Malmesbury also gives some strange anec-
dotes of his barbarity.

A.D. 1140.] THE CIVIL WARS. 277

advice, or rather his injunction, and agree with him and hold
with him in wreaking his satanic malice, not only on the king,
but on the earl and every one else ; menacing him, on his
refusal, that he should forfeit his life when lie least expected
it. John replied : " In tlie name of God, I would rather
make another man my prisoner than be taken myself;" and
inmiediately seized him, and throwing him into confinement,
in just retaliation caused all the tortures which he had inflicted
on others to be exhausted on himself.

The earl of Gloucester, and Milo, the ex- constable, hearing
of these occurrences, came to the said John, with many fol-
lowers, and the earl promised to give him five hundred marks,
on condition that he should deliver Robert to him on a set
day, upon receiving good hostages from himself. John, won
over by the promise of the money and the hostages, delivered
Robert to the earl, on the terms of his being restored to him
within fifteen days. This compact being made, the earl re-
turned to Gloucester, taking Robert with him. They then
treated respecting the castle of Devizes, of which the earl
required at his hands a voluntary surrender. Robert, how-
ever, refused, being loth to break the oath he had made to
his comrades, that the castle should never be given up.
But being terrified by threats of being hung on a gallows, in
Older to save his life, he engaged to yield to the demand.
Within the time fixed by the agreement, this rufiian was led
back to the presence of John ; to whom the earl told all that
had hap|)ened, and how John, terrified by his threats, had
promised to deliver up the castle. He also requested him
again to permit Robert to accompany him to Devizes, pledg-
ing himself that if he should chance to obtain possession of
the castle, it should be given up to John, to be held under
fealty to Iiim. The earl's proposal being acceded to, he im-
mediately returned to Devizes with Robert. In the mean-
time, the said John sent letters to all, both within and without
the castle, assuring them, on his solemn oath, that neither he
nor the earl would do any injury to Robert ; any how, they
were to see to it that their oath not to give up the castle to
any one was faithfully adhered to. The earl returned to
Gloucester, leaving the ex-constable and a man of great
power, nanuMl Humphrey, with some others, behind him ;
with general orders that, if Robert refused to make a volun-

278 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1140.

tary surrender of the castle, he should be hung. Eobert did
refuse, and his friends refused also, lest they should appear
perjured. In short, after his two nephews had been hanged,
he was taken and hanged also. All praise be to God who
delivered up the wicked I

Before the Assumption of St. Mary [15th August], the earl
of Gloucester marched his army towards Bath, but the king-
had long before despatched light troops to watch the enemy's
motions, and place an ambuscade for the defence of themselves
and the country. The two parties met ; on the one side
were the king's troops, among whom were two knights, John
and Roger, both men of spirit and courage ; on the other
side were the earl's retainers. Many were taken prisoners ;
more were wounded and slain ; one of whom, Geoffrey
Talbot,^ a bold but crafty knight, now joining the king,
now the earl, and thus steeped in treachery, was mortally
wounded, and dying in consequence on the eleventh of the
calends of September [22 August], was buried with the
canons at Gloucester. The royal troops, however, gained
the victory.

[Nottingham plundered and burnt.]

Before the Nativity of St. Mary [8th September], Robert,
son of king Henry, instigated by Ralph Paganel, took with
him the knights of the earl of Warwick, and with those he
drew out of Gloucestershire and a great body of common
soldiers, made a sudden attack on the town of Nottingham,
and finding there was no force to defend it, commenced
plundering it, the townsmen from all quarters taking refuge
in the churches. One of these, who was reported to be a
wealthy man, having been laid hold of, was led tightly bound
to his house that he might be forced to give up his money.
The man conducted the free-booters, over greedy for spoil, into
a chamber underground, where all his household wealth was
supposed to be stored. But while they were intent upon
pillage and breaking open doors and locks, he cunningly
slipped away, and gaining the chambers and then the hall,
closed all the doors behind them and fastened them with

^ See *' Gesta Stephani," pp. 361 — 376. — Antiq. Lib. It was this
Geoffrey Talbot wtio sacked and burnt Hereford. See before, pp. 261
and 272.

I

A.D. 1140.] STEPHEN MADE PRISONER. 279

bolts. He then set fire to his house and consigned the buildings
and all his goods, together with the robbers, to the flames.
It is reported tliat more tluin thirty men wlio were in the
cellar perished by the fire, and some say that it spread
througli the whole town and burnt it to the ground ; for, the
knights and the whole army swore that they were guiltless
of having set it on fire. Thus the whole place was consumed,
and all who could be taken outside the churches were carried
into captivity ; some of them as far as Gloucester. The rest
of the common people, men, women and children, who had
fled to the churches, not daring to come forth for fear of
being taken l)y the enemy, nearly all perished as the churches
fell a prey to the raging conflagration. It was a cruel sight,
and even the enemy were filled with sorrow when they be-
held the temples of God, which even the heathen would
have spared, consumed by fire. Thus Nottingham was laid
in ruins ; a most noble town, which from the time of the
Norman conquest of England to the present had flourished
in the greatest peace and tranquillity, and abounded in wealth
of all kinds and a numerous population.

A certain monk, of profound learning and knowledge,
Peter by name, was preferred to the abbey of Malmesbury
by Henry, bishop of Winchester, and legate of the holy
Roman church. Having assumed the monastic habit at
Cluni, he filled for some time the office of prior of La Charite,
and was removed from thence to preside over the monastery
of St. Urban, pope, in the diocese of Catalonia, but troubles
increasing and threatening his own safety, he was compelled
to quit the place, and at the instance of the before-mentioned
bishop of Winchester, came to England, and this year under-
took the government of the aforesaid church.

[Stephen made prisoner at the battle of Lincoln.]

Stephen, king of England, after long toils and sieges of
castles, in whicli he had struggled during five years and six
weeks for the peace of the kingdom, at last, on the day of
the Purification of St. Mary [2nd February], which fell on
Sexagesima Sunday, was, by the just judgment of God, out-
mano'uvred and taken prisoner at the siege of Lincoln castle by
Robert, earl of Gloucester, his uncle's son, and Ranulph,

280 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1140.

earl of Chester ;^ and, being first brought to Gloucester on
Quinquagesima Sunday [9th February^, was then conducted
to the city of Bristol and placed in custody. Many of his
adherents were taken with him and thrown into prison.

[The Empress Matilda acknowledged queen.]

Meanwhile, the lady empress-queen, Henry's daughter,
who was staying at Gloucester, was overjoyed at this event,
having now, as it appeared to her, got possession of the
kingdom for which fealty had been sworn to her f she there-
fore, having consulted her council, left the city on the fifth
day after Ash-Wednesday [17th February], and attended by
two bishops, Bernard, bishop of St. David's, and Nigel, bishop
of Ely, with Gilbert, abbot of Winchester, and many barons,
knights, and officers, proceeded to Cirencester, the first
place at which she lodged after such joyful intelligence, and
of which she received the allegiance. Departing thence,
when she drew near to the city of Winchester, there ad-
vanced to meet her, in great state and pomp, the bishops of
almost all England, many barons, a great number of men
of high rank, innumerable knights, divers abbots with their
societies, and two convents of monks and a third of nuns,
chanting in procession hymns and thanksgivings, and the
clergy of the place with the citizens and crowds of the people.
Thereupon, the famous city of Winchester was delivered over
to her; she.received possession of the royal crown of England,'*
and the legate himself cursed those who curse her, blessed
those who bless her, excommunicating her adversaries, and
absolving those who submitted to her government.

The lady [Matilda] departing from Winchester with her
court went to Wilton, where Theobald, archbishop of Canter-

^ The best account of the battle of Lincoln is given by Henry of
Huntingdon, who was a canon of that church, and most probably
resident there at the time of the battle. See his History, pp. 273 — •
280, Antiq. Lib. The account in " Gesta Stephani" is singularly de-
ficient in details, ibid, p. 378. Roger of Wendover's is rather more
circumstantial, ibid, vol. i., p. 492,

^ See before, under the year 1126, p. 241.

^ " The royal crown, which she had always ardently desired," says
the author of " Gesta Stephani," p. 381. The bishop-legate, Henry de
Blois, caused her to be proclaimed queen in the market place of
Winchester J but it does not appear that Matilda was ever crowned

A

A.D. 1140.] THE EMPRESS MATILDA. 281

bury, came to pay his respects. Here such crowds of people
flocked to meet her, that the gates of the town hardly allowed
their entrance. After celebrating there the feast of Easter,
she came in the Rogation days [4th May] to Reading, where
she was received with honours ; the chief men and the people
])ouring in from all quarters to tender their allegiance.
While there, she sounded one of the leaders, Robert D' Oyley,
respecting the surrender of Oxford castle, and upon his con-
senting to it, she proceeded there and received the fealty
and homage of the whole city and the country round. Con-
tinuing her progress, she was received at the monastery of
St. Albans, with processions, and honours, and rejoicings.
Many of the citizens of London came to her there, and had
various conferences with her touching the surrender of the
city.

[A violent thunder- storm.]

About this time a terrible occurrence took place in the
diocese of Worcester, w^hich we think is worthy relating. On
Wednesday before the octave of our Lord's Ascension [11th
May], about the ninth hour of the day, at a village called
Walesburn, distant one mile from Hampton, the country seat
of the bishop of Worcester,^ there aroie a violent whirlwind,
accompanied by a frightful darkness reaching from earth to
heaven, which striking the house of a priest named Leofrid
levelled it to the ground and shattered it to pieces, with all
the out-buildings ; it also tore off the roof of the church, and
carried it across the river Avon. Nearly fifty houses of the
villagers were thrown down and ruined in the same way.
Hailstones also fell as large as a pigeon's egg, which striking
a woman caused her death. At this spectacle all present were
filled with terror and dismay.

[3Iatilda goes to London.]

The empress, as we have already said, having treated with
the Londoners, lost no time in entering the city with a great
att(,'n<Iance of bishops and nobles: and being received at
Westminster with a magnificent procession, took up her abode
th(H-e for some days to set in order tlie affairs of the kingdom,
ller first care was to take measures for the good of God's holy

' Hampton-Lucy, near Stratford-upon-Avon.

282 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1140.

church, according to the advice of good men. She therefore
gave the bishopric of London to a monk of Reading, a vene-
rable man, Robert by name [who accepted it], in the presence
and by the command of his reverend abbot, Edward. God's
business being thus done, the queen of England interceded
with the lady [Matilda] for her lord the king, who was a
captive in close custody and fetters. She was also entreated
on his behalf by the highest and greatest nobles of England,
who offered to deliver to her any number of hostages, with
castles and large sums of money if the king were set free, and
his liberty, though not his kingdom, was restored to him ;
promising to persuade him to abdicate the crown, and thence-
forth devote himself to the service of God only, as a monk or
pilgrim ; but she would not listen to them. The bishop of
Winchester, too, petitioned her that the earldom which belonged
to his brother, should be given to his nephew, the king's son,
but the lady [Matilda] refused also to listen to him. The
citizens also prayed her that they might be permitted to live
under the laws of king Edward, which were excellent, instead
of under those of her father, king Henry, which were grievous.
But, refusing to accept good advice, she very harshly rejected
their petition, and in consequence there was a great tumult
in the city ; and a conspiracy being formed against her, the
citizens, who had deceived her with honour, now attempted
to seize her person with indignity. Being, however, fore-
warned by some of them, she fled shamefully with her
retinue, leaving all her own and their apparel behind.^

The bishop of Winchester, who was also legate of the holy
Roman church, perceiving this, turned his mind to his brother's
liberation, and to accomplish it, gained over the good-will
and influence of the Londoners to his purpose. Meanwhile,
the fugitive lady reached Gloucester, by way of Oxford, where,
having consulted with Milo, the ex-constable, she immediately
returned with him to Oxford, intending to tarry there while
she re-assembled her scattered troops. And as she had chiefly
used the counsel, and been supported by the assistance of Milo,
insomuch that up to that time she had neither received pro-
visions for a single day, nor had her table served, except by
his munificence and forethought, as we have heard from

* See "Gesta Stephani," pp. 383—385, Antiq. Lib.

AD. 1140.] WINCHESTER BURNT. 283

jVIilo's own mouth,^ she conferred upon him while she was
there the earkloni of Hereford, to bind him more closely to her
service, and as a distinguished reward for it.

[The siege and " rout " of Winchester.^

Her forces having increased in power and numbers, on the
approach of the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula [1st August], she
went to Winchester, unknow^n to her brother, the earl of Bristol,
but finding the place already indisposed towards her, she took
up her quarters in the castle. Astonished at her unexpected
arrival, and exceedingly disturbed in consequence, Henry,
bishop of that city, left it by another gate, and withdrew him-
self then and for ever from her presence. They being now at
variance, this wealthy city, so glorious for ages, and whose
fame was renowned through all lands, was suddenly placed in
a state of siege, kinsfolk engaging in mutual hostilities, and the
inhabitants and their goods being destroyed by common and
mercenary soldiers, who, breathing fury, spread themselves
through it for tliis purpose. Nor did this alone suffice to
satisfy the bishop's wrath, for goaded by rage, and to strike
terror and dismay into the hearts of the people, he determined
to set fire to the city and burn it to the ground ; and this he
did. Thus on the second of the month of August, having
fired the city, he reduced to ashes the monastery of nuns with
its buildings, more than forty churches, with the largest and
best part of the place, and, lastly, the monastery of monks
devoted to God and St. Grimbald, with its buildings.

Tiiere was in tliis church of St. Grimbald a great and holy
cross, made long since by order of king Canute, and by him
exquisitely enriched with gold and silver, jewels and precious
stones. Wonderful to relate, this cross, on the approach of the
flames, as if conscious of the impending danger, began to
sweat and grow black before the eyes of the monks who were
present, yea, it waxed as black as the incendiaries themselves;
and tlie very instant it caught fire, tliree awful claps of loud
thunder sounded as it were from heaven. The city being

' It appears from this and other incidental notices, that the monk
of Worcester, to whom we are indebted for the continuation of the
Chronicle of Florence, wiis not only cotemporary with the events he
describes, but had access to persons of rank who took a leading part
in them.

284 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1140.

thus burnt -within and beleagured by the enemy without, the
bishop is reported to have said to the earl of Northampton,
" Behold, lord earl, you have my command, let it be your
business to raze it to the ground ;" words which disclose the
inmost feelings of the speaker's heart. Seven weeks having
been spent in the siege, the bishop, weary at last of its long-
duration, on the eve of the day preceding the feast of the
Exaltation of the Holy Cross [14th September], ordered peace
to be proclaimed throughout the city, and the gates to be
thrown open.

The empress had already mounted her horse, accompanied
and guided by her brother, Reginald ; leaving more than two
hundred cavalry under the command of the earl of Bristol
[Gloucester], as a rear-guard, when the bishop suddenly
ordered his troops to fly to arms, and making a desperate
attack on the enemy, take as many prisoners as they could.
Many were thus cajDtured, and very many scattered and slain,
among whom was a knight named William de Curcell, with
six troopers ; and he was buried at St. Grrimbald's. The lady
[Matilda], learning this, was in great terror and dismay, and
reached the castle of Luggershall, for which she was making,
sad and sorrowful ; but she found it no safe resting-place for
fear of the bishop. In consequence, by the advice of her
friends, she once more mounted her horse, male fashion, and
was conducted to Devizes ; but apprehending that she should
not be safe from her pursuers even there, she was placed,
already nearly half-dead, upon a hearse, and being bound with
cords like a corpse, and borne upon horses, was carried, igno-
miniously enough, to the city of Gloucester.^

Meanwhile, her brother, Robert, the earl of Bristol [Glou-
cester], having left Winchester by another road, was hard
pressed by those who went in pursuit, and being captured at
Stolbridge by the Flemings, under earl Warrene, and brought
to the queen, who was residing there, was by her command
given in custody to William d' Ypres, and confined at
Rochester. Milo, earl of Hereford, being hemmed in by the

^ A very circumstantial account of the siege of Winchester, and
the "rout" of Matilda's forces is given in the " Gesta Stephani," pp.
386 — 390. Our author here adds some curious details connected with
her escape, which we may conclude, from his position, he derived
from local information.

A.D. 1140.] ST. CROSS BURNT. 285

enemy, threw oiF his armour and all his accoutrements, and,
glad to escape with his life, fled in disgrace, reaching Glou-
cester, weary, alone, and half naked. John, also, their abettor,
was pursued by the bishop's soldiers to the monastery of
Wherwell, where he had taken refuge ; and being unable to
drive him out, they set fire to the church of St. Cross, on the
very day of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross [14th
September], burnt it to the ground, with the nuns' houses
and effects, and carried off, without scruple, their vestments,
books, and ornaments, after much horrible effusion of human
blood before the holy altar ; but yet they could neither take
nor drive out John before mentioned. Elfrida, the wife of
Edgar, the glorious king of England, [during his reign]^
erected this monastery in honour of St. Cross, being struck
with remorse for the murder of her step-son.

After these events, bishop Henry's wrath being somewhat
appeased, wiiile his covetousness knew no bounds, at the sug-
gestion of the prior of the new minster which had been just
burnt down, he recovered from the ashes of the cross five
hundred pounds of silver, thirty marks of gold, and three
crowns, with as many steps of the purest Arabian gold studded
all round with precious stones of most exquisite and admirable
workmanship, and laid them up in his own treasury.

[Stephen exchanged for the Earl of Gloucester.]

Meanwhile, the king and the earl were kept in custody,
but the queen employing herself actively on the king's behalf,
and the countess using great exertions for the earl, after many
messengers and confidential friends had passed to and fro
between them, the following terms were the result of the
deliberations on both sides; namely, that the king being
restored to his royal dignity, and the earl being invested with
the dominion of the whole of England under him, both should
become just administrators and restorers of the peace in the

> The words between the brackets convey a gross anachronism.
King Edf^ar died in 975, and [St.] Edward, who succeeded him, was
murdered in 978. A note in the margin of one of the MSS. states the
fact that "Aelfdryth" erected the monastery of St. Cross with the
motive here stated, but omits the words in the text, which assigns a
date to the foundation incompatible with the facts.

286 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1140.

government and country, as they had hitherto been the authors
and promoters of all its dissensions and disturbances. But
the earl refusing to carry this into effect, without the consent
of the empress, his sister, repudiated all that had been con-
certed in the affair, and utterly rejected all terms of peace
and alliance with the king. Whence it came to pass that
they parted without any pacification, and during the whole of
the ensuing year, in all parts of the kingdom and country,
pillage of the poor, slaughter of men, and violation of churches
cruelly ^

^ The old printed text ends here abruptly In one of the MSS. the
interval between the year 1141, where the first Continuation of
Florence's Chronicle terminates, and the year 1152, where the second
Continuation begins, is supplied by a transcript from Henry Hun-
tingdon's history of that period, for which see pp. 273 — 291, Antiq. Lib.

THE END OF THE FIRST CONTINUATION OF FLORENCE
OF WORCESTER.

THE SECOND CONTINUATION OF THE CHRONICLE

OF

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

[a.d. 1152.] The emperor Conrad succeeded the emperor
Frederic.

A divorce was decreed between Lewis, king of France,
and queen Eleanor, the daughter of William, duke of Aqui-
taine, by whom the king then had two daughters. Henry,
duke of Normandy, married this Eleanor, and received witli
her the county of Aquitaine. St. Bernard, abbot of Clair-
vaux, died on the thirteenth of the calends of September
[20th August].

[a.d. 1153.]

[a.d. ]154.] Benedict, prior of Canterbury, was trans-
ferred as abbot to Peterborough. Adrian was made pope.

[a.d. 1155.] Queen Eleanor bore a son, whom she called
Henry. Frederic was crowned as emperor.

[a.d. 115G.] Queen Eleanor gave birth to a daughter,
named Matilda.

[a.d. 1157.] Queen Eleanor gave birth at Oxford to her
son Richard.

[a.d. 1158.] Queen Eleanor gave birth to Geoffrey.

[a.d. 1159.] Adrian died, and thereupon a schism arose
from the election of two popes. The kings of France and
England acknowledged pope Alexander, while the emperor
adhered to Octavian, on whose behalf he wrote to the two
kings before mentioned, but did not obtain his object.

[a.d. 11 ()().] The marriage between Henry, son of the
king of England, and the daughter of the king of France, was
celebrated. Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, died.

288 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1161-70.

[a.d. 1161.] Queen Eleanor bore a daughter, to whom
she gave the name of Eleanor.^

[a.d. 1162.] The council of Tours was held,^ at which
Thomas, the archbishop, was much honom-ed by the jDope.

[a.d. 1163.]

[a.d. 1164.] The bishops of England are called together
at Clarendon, to take account of the customs of the realm.^
Loose clerks are denoimced. Archbishop Thomas withdraws
privately ; the king duly summoned him to answer in his
court.

[a.d. 1165.] Eleanor bore a son, who was called John
Sans-terre.^

[a.d. 1166— 69.J

[a.d. 1170.] In this year the king held his court, during
the feast of Easter, at Windsor ; at which festival there were
present William, king of Scotland, and Da\-id his brother, and
nearly all the nobles and great men of England, both bishops,
earls, and barons.

[A council of nobles at London.]

After celebrating^ the feast of Easter, the kinsr went from
thence to London, and there held a great council for the
coronation of his eldest son Henry, and making laws for his
kingdom ; and there he dismissed nearly all the sheriffs of
England and their baiUffs, for having ill-treated the liege-
men of his realm. And each of the sheriffs and bailiffs found
pledges for himself to abide by the judgment of the court,
and give such redress to our lord the king, and the liege-men
of the realm, as they ought to do out of their reprises. After-
wards the king caused all the liege-men of his realm, to wit,
the earls, barons, knights, free tenants, and even \'illeins, to
swear, on the holy gospels, in their several counties, that they
would tell the truth, namely, what and how much the sheriffs

^ Accordino: to Roger of Wendover and Matt. Westm., the princess
Eleanor was born in 1162.

^ The council of Tours was not held till 1163.

^ The famous " Constitutions of Clarendon" were framed on this
occasion. They may be seen in Wilkins's Cone, and Roger of
Wendover.

* John Lack-Land, afterwards king John; he was born in 1166.

A.D. 1170.] PRTXCE HENRY CROWNED. 289

and their bailiffs levied on them, and what judicially, and what
extrajudicially, and for what default. But great injury was
thu3 done to the English nation, for, after the inquisition
was made, the king reinstated some of the sheriffs in their
offices, and they became afterwards more oppressive than they
were before. Moreover, in the aforesaid council, the king
caused Roger, archbishop of York, Hugh, bishop of Durham,
and the other bishops of his kingdom, to be summoned to
meet at London at a time appointed.

[_Coro7iatlon of Henri/ II.'s eldest son Henry ^

On the following Sunday, which was the eighteenth of the
calends of July [1 4th June], and the vigil of SS. Vitus and
Modestus, martyrs, and St. Crescentia, virgin, king Henry
caused his eldest son Henry to be crowned and consecrated
king at Westminster, by Roger, archbishop of York and
legate of the episcopal see, being assisted in the ceremony by
Hugh, bishop of Durham, Gilbert, bishop of London, Josce-
line, bishop of Salisbury, and Walter, bishop of Rochester;
and almost all the earls, bishops, and nobles of the realm
being present. On the morrow after the consecration, the
king made William, king of Scotland, and David, his brother,
and all the earls, barons, and frank-tenants of his kingdom,
do homage to the new king, his son ; and swear, on the relics
of the saints, allegiance and fealty to him against all the
world, save only their fealty to himself. And there the king
obtained the consent of the earls and barons for crossing the
sea to Normandy, because Lewis, king of France, bruited
abroad that his daughter Margaret was not crowned with her
husband, the new king of England, and therefore proposed to
stir up war in Normandy.

[King Henry falls sick in Normandy.]

Accordingly, the king passed over to Normandy, setting
sail from Portsmouth about the feast of St. John the Baptist
[24th June], and sent his son, the new king, to England,
empowering him to administer affairs and justice under a new
seal, which he ordered him to make. About the octave of

u

290 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1170.

the feast of SS. Peter and Paul [6th July], the king came to
Ferte-Bernard,^ and consulted Count Theobald about making
peace between himself and the king of France, and then they
departed. And the king, about the feast of St. Mary Mag-
dalen [22nd July], went as far as Yendome^ to treat with the
king of France, and in that conference they came to such a
mutual understanding, that for the time they remained in
alliance.

The conference being ended, the king returned to Nor-
mandy, and reaching La Motte Gernee, not far from Dom-*
front,^ about the feast of St. Lawrence [10th August], there
fell so dangerously ill, that it was reported throughout France
that he was dead; and there he divided his kingdom and
dominions amongst his sons. He gave to Henry, his eldest
son, the kingdom of England and the duchy of Normandy,
with the counties of Anjou and Maine ; and committed to him
the maintenance and promotion of his youngest brother John.
To his son Richard, he gave the duchy of Aquitaine, with all
its appurtenances, to be held of the king of France.

Afterwards, he commanded the bishops, earls, and barons,
who were about him during his sickness, that if he did not
recover, they should convey his body to Grammont, near St.
Leonard's,^ and showed them a charter which the good men
of Grammont had granted him for the interment of his
remains at the entrance of the chapter-house of Grammont,
at the feet of the superior of that house, who lay buried there.
On hearing this they were much surprised, and were unwilling
to allow it, saying that it was derogatory to his royal dignity.
The king, however, persisted in enjoining compliance with his
wishes ; but, by the will of Divine Providence, he shortly
afterwards recovered from his sickness, and, as soon as he
was able, in fulfilment of a vow made during his illness, he
proceeded with all haste, about the feast of St. Michael [29th

' La Ferte-Bernard, on the Huisne, in the department of La Sarthe.

^ Veiidome, on one of the branches of the Loire. Some ruins of its
ancient castle still remain.

^ Domfront was a strong frontier fortress of Normandy, of great
importance in the preceding times.

* St. Leonard's stands on the right bank of the Vienne, about ten
miles from Limoges.

A.D. 1170.] becket's grievances. 291

September], to St. Mary's of Ilocamadour,* and having per-
formed his pilgrimage returned into Anjou.

\_Disputes between Inng Henry and Thomas a BechetJ]

Meanwhile, St. Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury, who
was now in the sixth year of his exile, hearing that in his
absence, and in despite of his privileges, a new king had
been consecrated in England, at London, by Roger, arch-
bishop of York, was greatly chagrined ; and turning in his
mind how he nnght best vindicate the rights of the church of
Canterbury, sent i'requent messengers to pope Alexander,
entreating him to censure the archbishop of York and his
coadjutors who had assisted him in the consecration of the
new king of England. Likewise, the same year, Lewis, king
of France, solicited the lloman pontiff on behalf of the afore-
said archbishop of Canterbury, entreating him, as he valued
his personal regard, and the respect he paid him, and from his
love of the kingdom of France, and for the honour of the
apostolic see, no longer to allow the procrastinating pleas
lodged by the king of England. Comj)assionating, also, the de-
solate condition of the church of Enghind, William, archbishop
of Sens, petitioned the apostolic see, and besought the church
of Rome that, all appeals being quashed, the king of England
should be sentenced to excounnunication, and the kingdom
laid under an interdict, unless peace were restored to the
church of Canterbury. The day peremptorily fixed, beyond
which the sentence could no longer be deferred, was now
at hand.

The king of England, therefore, constrained by his fears of
the rigour of the canons, at length consented to restore peace
to the English church, and about the feast of St. Denys, on
Monday the fourth of the ides [the 12th] of October, he
came as far as Amboi,se, in the neighbourhood of Tours,
attended by the archbishops, bishops, and great men of his
realm, to meet William, archbishoj) of vSens, and Theobald,
count de Llois, who brought with them St. Thomas, archbishop

' De rupe Aflamntoris. The place is situated near Cahors, on the
high road from Paris to Bayonne. Its famous Oratories, dedicated,
tlie one to St. Mary, and the other to St. Amadour, on the summit of
the rock overiianging the valley of the little river Alzou, which falls
into the Dordogiie, are still the resort of the religious.

u 2

292 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1170.

of Canterbury. On the morrow, king Henry, in conformity to
tlie will of Divine Providence, and in compliance with the
instances of the king of France, and the mandate and moni-
tion of pope Alexander, as well as by the advice of the arch-
bishops and bishops of his realm, re-admitted the before-
mentioned archbishop of Canterbury to his favour and love,
and he pardoned him and all who were in exile with him,
and shared his wrath and persecution ; promising that all the
possessions of the church of Canterbury should be restored
to him entire, as he held them the year before he departed
from England.

There were great rejoicings among the people throughout
the kingdom on the arrival and re-establishment of their
father, Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury ; for he, apprehen-
sive of the peril of souls, and conducted to his see by the
king's orders, returned to England on the calends [the Ist]
of December, in the seventh year of his exile. Arriving at
Canterbury, he was received by the clergy and people as an
angel of the Lord, the multitude shouting with one voice,
*' Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." On
his part, he, like a good shepherd, received them all with the
kiss of peace, and addressing to them a paternal admonition,
enjoined on them the love of their brethren ; while, if needs
be, they should lay down their lives, and .contend unto death
for the law of God. The lord pope having, on the complaint
of St. Thomas, learnt the presumption of the before-mentioned
archbishop of York, and the bishops, his coadjutors, he sus-
pended Hoger, archbishop of York, Hugh, bishop of Durham,
and Walter, bishop of Rochester, from their episcopal func-
tions, and issued a sentence of excommunication against
Gilbert, bishop of London, and Josceline, bishop of Salisbury.
This harsh proceeding, which was published on the restoration
of St. Thomas, further embittered the king's mind, and gave
a fresh poignancy to the envenomed tongues of the arch-
bishop's detractors. For Roger, archbishop of York, Josceline,
bishop of Salisbury, and Gilbert, bishop of London, as soon
as the sentence was published against them, sailed for Nor-
mandy, and sharpening their tongues, like a sword, prejudiced
the king by their complaints against the archbishop of Can-
terbury, and more and more roused his indignation against
him. The champion of Christ was, therefore, again subjected

A.D. 1170.] becket's martyrdom. 293

to losses, and made acfain the mark for more atrocious and
excessive injustice; and he was even prohiliited, by a public
edict, from going beyond the bounds of his church. Whoever
gave him, or any of his friends, a civil word, was thought a
public enemy. But the man of God bore all these injuries
with exemplary ])atience, and living on familiar terms with
those about them, edified all by his conversation.

\_Martyrdom of St. Thomas a BecTcet.~\

This year the son of the empress ^latilda^ held his court at
Bures, in Normandy, on the day of our Lord's Nativity, which
fell on Friday, in much sorrow and trouble at the refusal of
the archbishop of Canterbury to absolve the English bishops
from the sentence of excommunication which he had pro-
nounced on them. The king's indignation being thus raised,
four knights of his household and family, desirous of relieving
him from the disturbance of mind which they observed to be
preying I'pon him, secretly and without the king's knowledge
hurried to the coast, for the purpose of crossing the sea to
England, and, having landed there, lost no time in taking the
road to Canterbury. The holy fiither had scarcely resided a
month at his church, when, five days after Christmas, the four
knights, or rather the hirelings of Satan, before mentioned,
whose names are William de Tracy, Hugh de Morville,
Richard Briton, and Reginald Fitz-Urse, rushed furiously and
ready armed into the church, at the entrance of which they
cried loudly, "Where — where is the traitor?" No one
making any answer, they again demanded, "Where is the
archbishop of Canterbury?" Upon which he replied, " Here
am I, the servant of Christ, whom ye seek." One of the ill-
omened knights then said to him in a rage, " You shall die,
for it must not be that you live any longer." The archbishop
answered, with as much firmness of expression as of spirit,
" I am ready to give up my life in the cause of God, and
as the champion of justice and of the liberties of the church.
But if ye seek my life, 1 forbid you, in God's name, and under
the penalty of being held accursed, from doing any sort of
injury to any other, be he monk, or clerk, or layman, of high
or low degree; let them be free I'rom harm, as they are from any

' Henry Fitz-Empress.

294 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1170.

pretence for it." Do not his words seem to express those of
Christ, when he said, during his passion, " If ye seek me, let
these go their way " ?^ Having said this, and seeing the exe-
cutioners draw their swords, he bowed his head in the act of
prayer, and poured forth these his last words : " I commend
myself and the cause of the church to God and St. Mary, and
the saints who are the patrons of this church, and to St.
Denys."

After that, in the midst of all his anguish, the undaunted
martyr, with wonderful firmness, uttered not a word nor a
cry, nor suffered a groan to escape him ; nor did he raise his
arm or cover himself with his robe to protect himself from his
assailants, but retained immovably the attitude he had assumed,
bowing his head to the stroke of their swords, until their
work was done. Thereupon the knights before mentioned,
being in fear from the concourse of multitudes of both sexes,
who flocked together on all sides, that a rescue would be
made, and their attempt foiled, hastened the accomplishment
of their villanous deed ; and one of them, brandishing his
sword and aiming a blow at the archbishop's head, nearly
struck oif the arm of a certain clerk, named Edward Grim,^ at
the same time wounding in the head tlie Lord's anointed ; for
this clerli: had thrust out his arm over the father's head to
intercept the assailant, or rather to ward off the blow. Still
the righteous sufferer for justice stood like an innocent lamb,
without a murmur, without a complaint, and offered himself a
sacrifice to the Lord. And now, that not one of the accursed
gang might be able to say that the bishop was free from
injury by his hands, a second and third knight dealt heavy
blows on the head of the intrepid champion of the faith, which
they fractured, and levelled the victim of the Holy Spirit to
the ground ; and a fourth,^ raving with an excess of bar-
barity, cut off his shaven crown, while he was prostrate and at
the last gasp, and, shattering his skull, inserted the point of
his sword, and scattered his blood and brains on the stone
pavement.

Thus, in the beginning of the seventh year after his banish-
ment, this martyr, Thomas, contended even to death for the

* John xviii. 8.

^ He was the bishop's eross-bearer.

^ His name was Hugh de Horsey.

A.D. 1170.] THE ASSASSINS ESCAPE. 295

law of his God and tlie riglits of the cliurch, which in Eng-
land were well nigh lost, fearing not the words of wicked
men ; but founded upon a rock of strength, that is Christ, fell
in Christ's church and for Christ's cause, himself innocent, by
the swords of the impious, on the fifth day of Christmas,
which is the morrow of the feast of Innocents [20th Decem-
ber]. Tlien all left him ami fled, that the saying of Scrip-
ture might be fulfilled : " I will smite the shepherd, and the
sheep shall be scattered."^ Meanwhile, the knights who had
perpetrated this accursed deed made their retreat by way of
the martyr's stable, and bringing out his horses parted them
among themselves, each taking which he pleased ; and then
without loss of time, sensible of the atrocity of their crime,
and despairing of pardon, did not dare to return to the king's
court, whence they had come, but retired into the western
part of England as far as Knaresborough, the vill of Hugh de
Alorville, where they abode until they were treated as in-
famous by tlie inhabitants of that district ; for all avoided
having any intercourse with them, nor would any one sit at
table in their company. They, therefore, ate and drank
alone, and the fragments of their repast were thrown to the
dogs, which having tasted, even thej' refused to devour. See
here manifestly the just vengeance of God, that they who
despised the anointed of the Lord should be even spurned by
doGTs !

INIean while the king, who was holding his court at Bures
as we have before mentioned, had gone to Argentan, where
hearing that the archbishop of Canterbury had been cruelly
murdered in the church of Canterbury, his grief was intense
and inexpressible ; and existence became wretched to an un-
heard of degree. For three days he partook of no food, and
refused to speak to any one ; and led a life of solitude with
closed doors for five weeks, until Rotro, aichbishop of Ilouon,
and the bishoj)s of Normandy, came and comforted him. How-
ever, when they had so done, Lewis, king of France, and
William, archbishop of Sens, wi'ote to pope Alexander against
the king of England, respecting the death of the archbishop
of Canterbury, to this effect :

* Zcchariah xiii. 7 ; Mark xiv. 27.

296 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1170.

[The Letter of the king of France.]

" To his most holy lord and father, Alexander [III.], by the
grace of God, pope, Lewis, king of France, sends greeting and .
due reverence.

" The son who dishonours his mother is a stranger to the
laws of human feeling ; nor is he mindful of the Creator's
benefits, who does not sorrow for insults offered to the holy
see. But it is to be especially lamented, and the novelty of
the enormity draws forth a fresh burst of unspeakable grief,
when the Lord's saint was the mark for a malignant attack,
the pupil of Christ's eye was pierced with the sword, and the
light of the church of Canterbury was no less cruelly than
basely extinguished. Let justice be roused in its keenest
form, and the sword of Peter be unsheathed to avenge the
martyr of Canterbury ! For his blood cries for vengeance
through the church universal, which not so much claims it
for him as for the injury inflicted on her. Lo ! the Divine
glory has been revealed in miracles, as we are informed, at
the martyr's tomb, and it is manifested from heaven on the spot
where his mortal remains rest, for whose name he fought to
the end. The bearers of these presents, men bereaved of
their father, will detail the particulars to your Holiness ; and
we pray you to lend a willing ear to their testimony of the
truth, and in this affair, as well as in others, give them the
same credence as you would to ourselves. Your Holiness,
farewell."

[_How the king sent to the pope of Rome, after the death of

St. Thomas.^

While affairs were in this state, the lord [archbishop] of
Rouen, the lord [bishop] of Evreux, and the lord [bishop] of
Worcester, together with several of the clerks and others
attached to the king's court, set forth on a journey to the
Roman pontiff, on behalf of the king and his realm. But the
lord of Rouen, being worn wdth age and infirmity, when he
had accomplished nearly half the journey, could proceed no
further, and returned to his own see. But the before-men-
tioned bishops, with the king's clerks, proceeded on their way,
and succeeded with great difficulty in obtaining the pope's con-

A.D. 1170.] MISSION TO THE POPE. 297

sent that two cardinals, Tlieodine and Albert, should, on his
part, come into Normandy, to take cognizance of the case
at issue between the kino: and the church of Canterbury
touching the death of St. Thomas, and respecting other
ecclesiastical dignitaries, and decide concerning them as God
should direct. The envoys who had proceeded to Rome
wrote to their lord and king in the following tenor :

\_The Letter to the Idng hy his clerks whom he sent to Rome.^

'* To their most dearly beloved lord, Henry, the illustrious
king of England, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and

count of Anjou, R., abbot of W ^, R., archdeacon of

Salisbury, Robert, archdeacon of Lisieux, Richard Barre, and
Master Henry, greeting, and loyal service in all things and
all j)laces.

" We would have your majesty know, that Richard Barre
having gone forward before us, and, after much danger and
suffering, arrived tirst at the court of our lord the pope, we
four, and the two bishops, the dean of York, and Master
Henry, with much difficulty got as far as Sienna. There
we were detained for some days, as count Macarius had so
beset all the roads that no way was open to us for getting out
of the place. When, however, we four, who with the bishops
were very desirous to depart, could not accomplish it, being
in much trouble of mind, by common consent we made our
escape privately at midnight, and so by mountain paths,
and almost impassable tracks, we at length after much peril
and apprehension reached Tusculum.^ There we found
Richard Barre very anxious, as was his duty, to maintain
your honour, and exerting himself with much prudence and
industry for your profit. But he was in great distress and
dismay, as he had neither been admitted to an interview with
the lord pope, nor had others shown any kindness or civility
to him. On our arrival, the pope refused to see us, and allow
us the kiss, even of his foot ; and scarcely any of the car-
dinals condescended so much as to exchange a word with us.
After long delay, during which we were much harassed by
anxiety and bitterness of spirit, we entreated those who were
faithfully attached to you to use their influence that in some

' *' Abbaa Wallatia; ?" ' Now called Frascati.

2&8 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1170.

■way the pope might grant us a hearing. In the end, at their

instance, the lord abbot of W , and R., arcli deacon of

Lisieux, were admitted to an audience, as being those of us
"who were least suspected. But when, in making their salu-
tations on your belialf, they mentioned your name as a most
devoted son of the Roman church, the whole conclave cried
out, * Hold, hold [' as if it were odious to the lord pope even
to hear your name. So leaving the conclave they returned
late to our lord the pope, and laid before him, after con-
sulting together, what your majesty commanded us ; at the
same time recounting all the benefits you had conferred on
the late archbishop of Canterbury, and the succession of
usurpations and affronts to your dignity of which he had been
guilty. All this we detailed, first in private, and afterwards
in the presence of our lord the pope and all the cardinals ; the
clerks of Canterbury, Alexander, and Gunter, the Fleming,
shewing cause before them on the other side.

" The Thursday before Easter [23rd March] being now
near at hand, and that being the day on which, according to
the usage of the Roman Church, the lord pope is wont to
absolve or excommunicate in public ; as we had certain in-
formation that up to this point their consultations tended to
the trouble of you and your kingdom, we consulted those we
knew to be most favourable to your majesty, namely, the lord
[bishop] of Porto, the lord Hyacinthus, the lord [bishop] of
Pavia, the lord Peter di Mirio (the lord John of Naples was
absent), and urged them most anxiously and earnestly to let
us know the pope's intentions, and what he proposed to deter-
mine in our case. But as they reported to us nothing but
what was disastrous and disgraceful to your highness, we
presumed, from the sad accounts given by these persons and
by your faithful servant, brother Francis, that the pope had
firmly resolved, with the general consent of the conclave, to
issue that very day a sentence of interdict against you, per-
sonally, and against all your dominions on this side or beyond
the sea. Being placed in these most difficult circumstances,
we used our utmost efforts, through the cardinals and those of
our associates who had access to them, and by means of their
intimate friends, to induce the pope to abandon this measure,
or, at least, to defer it until the arrival of your bishops.

" Finding it impossible to effect this, we, as our duty is,

A.D. 1172.] THE envoys' letter. 299

and as we are your debtors, being neither able nor willing to
bear tlie indignity to your person, nor the oppression to your
whole dominions, at last had a meeting of our friends in the
presence of some of the cardinals, at which means were dis-
covered by which your honour and welfare would be secured,
with ad\antage to your territories and profit to the bisiiops.
By this proceeding we get rid of the danger and disgrace
with which you, your dominions, and bisljops were threat-
ened, although ibr this immunity we expose ourselves to
extreme peril ; believing, however, and having a sure hope
that the whole affair will take the course which we think you
would desire. The lord bishop of Worcester and the lord
bishop of Lisieux, with Robert, dean of Lisieux, and Master
Henry will soon be here. We left them beyond measure
anxious and troubled, because they were not able to come
with us, as they wished to attend to your business. It was
their opinion and our own, that we ought to hasten forward
somewhat in advance of them, in order to throw impediments
in the way of the proceedings of your adversaries to your dis-
honour and injury. For we had certain information that the
charge against you was lodged in court, and we were appre-
hensive of what is customary on that day. Farewell ! and
may your highness long live. Be comforted in the Lord,
and lot your heart rejoice ; for after this cloud there will
be fair weather, to your glory. We came to the court on
the Saturday before Palm-Sunday [21st March], and
the bearer of these presents leaves us on Easter-day [28th
March]."

[^ICinff Henry s Heconciliation with the Court of Rome.']

[a.d. 1172.] King Henry crossed over to Ireland, and
made peace with the people there. He tlien returned and
obtained absolution from the cardinals, Ilotro [archbisliop]
of Ilouen crowned Margaret, the king's daughter, as tlie
future queen of England. Meanwhile the king returned
from Britain, and about the feast of St. Michael, the apostle,
came into Normandy to the city of Avranches, where he
found the before-named cardinals, and on Wednesday the fifth
of tlie calends of October [27th September], being the feast
of SS. Cosmo and Damianus, the martyrs, he made satisfac-

300 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1172.

tion to God and the pope toucliing the death of St. Thomas
the martyr. For he cleared his innocence before the afore-
said cardinals, and the archbishop of Eouen, and the bishops,
clergy, and people of his dominions, in the church of St.
Andrew the apostle, at Avranches. He also swore on the
Holy Gospels, before the churchmen already named, that he
neither commnnded nor wished that the archbishop of Can-
terbury should be slain, and that when he heard of it he was
thrown into the deepest distress. But whereas he could not
take the malefactors who had murdered Thomas, archbishop
of Canterbury, of blessed memory ; and whereas he feared
that they wrought that impious deed in consequence of their
observing his disturbed state of mind, he took, for satisfac-
tion, an oath to the following effect : —

First, he swore that he would create no schism with pope
Alexander, or with his catholic successors, so long as they
treated him as a catholic king.

Next, he swore that he would neither hinder, nor suffer
any hindrance, to appeals being freely made in his kingdom
to the pope of Rome in ecclesiastical causes ; provided that
if he saw reason to suspect the parties, they should give
security that they would not seek the injury of himself or his
kingdom.

Moreover, he swore that he would take the cross from Christ-
mas then ensuing, for the term of three years, and would go
to Jerusalem in person during the summer next following,
unless he staid with leave of pope Alexander, or his catholic
successors. But if, in the meantime, he should, from urgent
necessity, go into Spain against the Saracens, the time spent
in that expedition should be considered as added to that
employed in the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

He swore, besides, that in the meantime he would pay to
the Knights Templars such sums of money as, in the judg-
ment of the brethren of the order, would be sufficient for
the maintenance of two hundred knights for the defence of
the territory of Jerusalem for the space of one year.

Moreover, he pardoned all, both clerks and laymen, who
were in exile on account of St. Thomas, for their wrath and
disaffection, and granted them permission to return home in
freedom and peace.

He also swore that whatever possessions had been taken away

A.D. 1173, 1174.] THE KING ABSOLVED. 301

from the cluircli of Canterbury should be restored entirely, as
the aforesaid archbishop held them the year before he departed
from England.

He also swore that he would altogether disallow any cus-
toms derogatory to the rights of the church in his territories,
which had been introduced during his reign. All this he
swore that he would observe in good faith and without covin.

He also caused king Henry, his eldest son, to swear that he
would observe all these articles, those excepted which referred
only to him personally. And that this compact might be
placed upon record in the Roman Church, the king commanded
his own seal and the seals of the cardinals to be affixed to the
instrument in which these articles are contained.

[a.d. 1173.] This year, Richard, archbishop of Canterbury,
deposed William, abbot of Peterborough, for certain causes.

Tlie count of St. Giles^ did homage to the king-father.
King Henry and his son quarrelled. A hundred and forty
Flemings, making an irruption into England, Avere drowned.
Geoffrey Ridel, archdeacon of Canterbury, was elected bishop
of Ely ; his consecration by Richard, archbishop of Canter-
bury, was deferred till the year following. William Turbe,
bishop of Norwich, died on the seventeenth of the calends of
February [IGth January], St. Thomas the Martyr was
canonised in the beginning of Lent [21st February]. Mary,
sister of St. Thomas, was made abbess of Barking. Robert,
earl of Leicester, landing in England with three thousand
Flemings, burnt the castle of Hagenest ; but he and his wife,
and all the Normans and French who accompanied him, are
taken prisoners. Part of the Flemings are slain, some part
are drowned ; but none escaped. Done without the burgh
of St. Edmund's on the sixteenth of the calends of November
[17th October].-'^

[a.d. 1174.] The Flemings coming over in aid of the
king's son, burn Norwich. Richard, prior of Dover, is con-
secrated archbishop of Canterbury by the lord pope. All the
world is afllicted with coughs and colds.

• Also called the count of Thoulouse.

' This is the first notice in the present continuation of the Chronicle
of Fh)rence which shows the connection of the writer or writers with
St. Edniondsbury. It ap{)ears also, from the following paragraph, and
others subsecjuontly in which the present tense is used, that the Con-
tinuation is a record of passing events.

302 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. A.D. 1175-9.

The king-father, on his arrival in England, found it in
rebellion against liim ; but, while he was paying his vows at
the shrine of St. Thomas, the king of Scotland was taken
prisoner, and the king carried him with him to Normandy.^
The same day the king-son returned to France, the fleet
w^hich he had assembled against his father having been dis-
persed.

[a.d. 1175.] The castles were razed to the ground in all
parts both of England and Normandy. William, king of the
Scots, a captive according to the laws of war, gave hostages,
and so returned from Normandy to Scotland.^

John of Oxford, dean of Salisbury, is consecrated bishop
of Salisbury on the nineteenth of the calends of January
[14th December].

[a.d. 1176.] The emperor Frederick sacks Milan. Roger,
archbishop of York, was maltreated at Westminster, because
he made pretensions to a seat in council at the right hand of the
legate. John of Salisbury, an excellent clerk, is made bishop
of Chartres.

[a.d. 1177.] Johanna, daughter of the king of England,
was married to William, king of Sicily. Secular canons were
removed from Waltham, and regular ones introduced. The
emperor Frederic, renouncing his schism at Venice, acknow-
ledged pope Alexander.

[a.d. 1178.] William, abbot of Ramsey, was made arch-
abbot of Cluny. The king knighted his son Geoffrey. Richard
de Lucy founded, the abbey of Lesnes.^ Saladin, being van-
quished by Eudes, master of the Temple, betook himself to
flight.

[a.d. 1179,] Roger, the [abbot]-elect of St. Augustine's,
received the pontifical ornaments from the pope. A council of

' He was committed to custody at Falaise.

^ The charter afterwards executed by William, kins: of Scotland,
acknowledging, as the terms of his release from captivity, Edward's
rights of suzerainty over that kingdom, is inserted in the latter part of
the present " Continuation," among other documents connected with
king Edward's claims.

^ Roger of Wendover informs us that " Richard de Lucy, justiciary
of England, on the 11th June, 1178, laid the foundations of a conven-
tual church [the abbey of Lesnes of our author] in honour of St.
Thomas the martyr, at a place called Westwood, in the territory of
Rochester." Vol.'ii., p. 36, Antiq. Lib.

A. D. 1180-5.] VARIOUS OCCURRENCES. 303

three hundred and ten bishops was held at Rome^ on the
fourteenth of the calends of April [19th March]. Seven
ears of corn grew on one stalk. Lewis, king of France,
made a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Thomas. Pope Alex-
ander sent a letter to Prester John in India.^

[a.d. 1180.] A new coinage, of a round shape, was struck
in England. Lewis, king of France, died, and was buried at
the abbey of Barbeaux. Hugh, abbot of St. Edmund's, re-
turning from tlie tomb of St. Tliomas, fell from his horse, and
so died from infirmity and old age.

[a.d. 1181.] A boy, named Robert, was sacrificed by the
Jews, at St. Edmund's, on Wednesday the fourth of the ides
[the 10th] of June. King Lewis was succeeded by his son
Philip, who put himself under the guidance of the king of
England. Pope Alexander wrote touching rendering succour
to the Holy Land. Lucius succeeded Alexander.

[a.d. 1182.] Henry, duke of Saxony, having incurred the
hostihty of the emperor Frederic, came into Normandy to
king Henry, with his wife and family. Tax-gatherers were
burnt throughout France.

[a.d. 1183.] King Henry, the son, died penitent, in sack-
clotii and ashes, on the third of the ides [the 11th] of June,
and was buried at Mans. Then Walter de Constance was
consecrated bishop of Lincoln at Rouen ; tlie year following
lie was raised to the arcliiepiscoj^al see of Rouen.

[a.d. 1184.] Richard, archbishop of Canterbury, died.
He was succeeded by Baldwin, bishop of Worcester. A
fountain in Scotland flowed with blood. Saladin and Safadin, (
kings of the Saracens, wrote to the lord pope touching the J
ransom of captives, in the year of the Htyira 578. The
emperor Frederic gave the crown of the German empire to
his son Henry. The holy order of the knights in Spain, with
the red sword for their badge, was confirmed by the pope.
Astrologers struck terror into men's hearts by predicting
future events from the conjunction of planets.

[a.d. 1185.] The patriarcii Heraclius, and Roger, master
of the Hospital,^ came into England. John, the king's son,

' The third council of J/atoran. Soo an account of its proceedings
in Ro^^cr of Wench) v(t, ihid, vol. i , p. 44.

- 'I'iic letter is preserved in Hoveden, H)id, vol. i., p. 4!)1.

' Roger Desmoulinsj he was sluiu at the siege of Acre, iu 1187.

304 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1186-9.

was knighted. Duke Henry returned into Saxony, contented
with his patrimonial states. The church of Lincoln was
shattered by an earthquake, on the eighteenth of the calends
of May [1.5th April]. Pope Lucius died, and Urban suc-
ceeded him.

[a.D. 1186.] Geoffrey, duke of Brittany, the king's son, died,
and was buried at Paris. Hugh, a native of Grenoble, and prior
of the Carthusian order in England, becomes bishop of Lincoln.
Henry, king of Germany, married Constance, daughter of
Roger L, king of Sicily, who was the son of Roger, count of
Sicily, brother of Robert Guiscard, of Norman origin. The
following verse was inscribed on the seal of king Roger : —
" Apulia, Calabria, Sicily, and Africa are mine."
Guy of Joppa^ was crowned king of Jerusalem.
[a.D. 1187.] Constance, countess of Brittany, gave birth
to a posthumous son, named Arthur. The cross of Christ was
captured by Saladin, near Tiberias,^ on the fourth of the
nones [the 4th] of July ; and two hundred and thirty per-
sons were beheaded with B. de Chatillon, their lord. Pope
Urban died ; Gregory YIII. succeeded him. Richard, earl of
Poitou, the first of the peers, took the cross. Pope Gregory
died ; Clemens III. succeeded him.

[a.D. 1 1 88.] The kings of France and England took the cross.
Richard Barre, archdeacon of Lisieux, was sent as ambassador
to the emperors of Rome and Constantinople, respecting a free
passage for the kings of France and England. At Dunstable,
on the fifth of the ides [the 9th] of August, at the ninth hour
of the day, a cross of wonderful size was seen in the heavens,
with Jesus Christ nailed to it, crowned with thorns : blood
flowed from the wounds, but did not fall to the ground.
This appearance lasted from the ninth hour until evening.
The emperor Frederic wrote to Saladin^ for the liberation of
king Guy and twenty thousand Christian souls.

[^Order of the Gilber tines. ^

[a.D, 1189.] St. Gilbert, founder and creator of the order
of Sempringham,^ died on the nones [the 5th] of February.

' Guy de Lusignan.

^ 8ee Roger de Hoveden, vol. ii., p. 60, Antiq. Lib.
^ The letter is preserved by Wendover. See vol. ii., p. 64.
* In Leicestershire, the Gilbertines soon counted 26 houses, con-
taining 700 brethren and 1,500 sisters in their order.

A.D. 1190, 1191.] DEATH OF HENRY 11. 305

King Henry Fitz-empress, died on the second of the nones
[the Gtli] of July, and >vas buried at Fontevrault. Earl
Itichard was absolved by the archbishops of Canterbury and
Iiouen for having taken arms against his father. Geoftrey
Iwidel, bisliop of Ely, died on the twelftli of the calends of
Sej)teni))or [21st August]. Earl Ricliard was crowned king
at London, on the third of the nones [the 3rd] of September,
on wdiich day the Jews were massacred at London. King
Richard gave to the Cistercian monks one hundred marks
yearly, to procure themselves a chapter.

[a.d. 1190.] William de Longchamp, the [bishop-] elect
of Ely, caused himself to be enthroned on the feast of
Epiphany with great pomp and ceremony : in consequence,
these verses were made ; —

'* When Ely keeps high festival, a glorious sight,
Others before her pale, as day outshines the night."

Geoffrey, a son of king Henry, was elected archbishop of
York, and the election was confirmed by the pope. Numbers
flocking to Jerusalem, put Jews to death. The Jews were
massacred at Norwich : many were trampled down during
the time the fair was held at Stamford ; at York five
hundred fell by each others' hands, on the seventeenth of the
calends of [April 16th March]. At St. Edmund's, the
Jews were butchered on the fifteenth of the calends of April
[18th Marcli], it being Palm Sunday ; those who survived
were, at the instigation of abbot Sampson, banished from
that place for ever. William, bishop of Ely, becomes the
pope's legate, justiciary of England, and the king's chancellor.
The emperor Frederic, in his journey to Jerusalem, is
drowned in the river Cydnus : Henry succeeded him as
emperor.

Tlic kings of France and England landed at Messina, in
the month of October. The Sicilian insurgents are excluded
from Messina by the king of England. Baldwin, the arch-
bishop of Canterbury, died on St. Edmund's day, having
encumbered his see by nuich extraordinary expense. Pope
Clement died : Celestine III. succeeded him.

[a.d. 1191.] This pope crowned Henry, king of Germany,

V

306 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1192.

as emperor of Kome, on Easter Monday [15th April]. On
the fourth day of Easter the city of Tusculum,^ founded by
the Romans, was laid in ruins. King Richard conquered
Cyprus and its emperor Isaac, whose standard he sent to St.
Edmund's. While he was in Cyprus he married Berengaria,
daughter of the king of Navarre, on the fourth of the ides
[the 4th] of May. King Richard sunk a large Saracen bark,
between Tyre and Acre. Geoffrey, archbishop of York, who
had been lately consecrated at Tours, was arrested at Dover
on his return to England. William [bishop] of Ely, flying
with terror from the presence of earl John, was taken at
Dover in a woman's dress ; but being liberated soon after-
wards, he crossed the sea to solicit the intervention of our
lord the pope. The sun suffered an eclipse on the ninth of
July [23rd of June], so that the stars were visible during
three hours. The city of Acre was surrendered to the kings
of Erance and England, on the fourth of the ides [the 12th]
of July, with many prisoners and great store of wealth.

[Richard taken prisoner on his return from the Holy Land?^

[a.D. 1192.] The king of France returned from the Holy
Land and was welcomed at Paris. A caravan of Saracens is
taken by king Richard, on its way from Babylon. King
Richard recovers Joppa, which the Saracens had reduced. A
truce was made between the Christians and Saracens, on the
eight of the ides [the 6th] August, from the ensuing Easter
[5th of April], for three years, three months, three weeks,
three days, and three hours. King Richard returning from
the Holy Land, entered the territories of Leopold, duke of
Austria, by M'hom he was made prisoner at the city of Vienna,
on the thirteenth of the calends of January [20th December],
He had embarked on the feast of St. Denys on the seventh of
the ides [the 9th] of October.

John, hearing of his brother's captivity, entertained the
hope of seizing the crown, and fortified many castles in Eng-
land : he also crossed the sea and made an alliance with the
king of France. The duke of Austria delivered the king of
England, for a sum of money, to Henry, the emperor of Rome,

* Now Frascati.

A.D. 1194, 1195.] RICHARD I. RELEASED. 307

mIio placed him in custody at a place called Trifels,^ of which
place Aristotle says, at the close of the second book of his
Topics, " Parricide is reckoned a virtue at Trifels ; but
common murder is no virtue."

Hubert Fitz-Walter, bishop of Salisbury, was elected arch-
bishop of Canterbury, on the third of the calends of June
[30th May]. The king's ransom amounted to the large sum
of one hundred thousand pounds in money. The emperor
allotted fifty thousand marks for the share of Leopold, and
covetously kept the rest. The prelates and nobles flocked in
great numbers to Germany, to visit the king. Eleanor, the
queen mother, also went over to him. Hubert [archbishop] of
Canterbury was enthroned.

[a.d. 1194.] On the second of the nones [the 4th] of
February, king Richard was released from captivity, in which
he had spent one year, six weeks, and three days, and landed
at the port of Sandwich on the third of the ides [the
13th] of March. He then hastened to visit St. Edmund's.
From motives of policy king Richard was [again] crowned at
, Winchester, on the octave of Easter [17th April]. King
Richard, crossing over to Normandy, received the submission
of all the country from Yerneuil to Carlcroix. Leopold,
duke of Austria, fell from his horse on St. Steplien's day, and
having crushed his foot in the fall, it was, by the advice of his
physicians, amputated, and he died in consequence, by the just
judgment of God, in great suffering.^

[a.d. 1195.] Hubert [archbishop] of Canterbury was
created papal legate on the fifteenth of the calends of Aj)ril
[18th March]. The Old Man of the Mountain lately sent a
letter to Leopold, duke of Austria, exonerating Ricliard, king
of England, from the charge of murdering the marcpiis Conrad.^
It was dated in the year one thousand five hundred and five,

' " The castle of Trefels, near Anweiler, a small town between
Landau and Zwoybriicken [Deux Pontsj, the picturescpie ruins of
wliich are still an object highly interesting to the antiquarian
traveller." — Thorpe.

* In the charters connected with Scottish affairs, inserted towards
the close of this work, there is one from kinj^ Iliehard to William of
Scotland, granted this year. See Ilovedeii, vol. ii., pp. .318, respecting
these and other important transactions after Richard's return from
captivity,

** See the letter in Wcndovcr, vol. ii., p. 129.

V 2

308 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1196, 1197.

from the time of Alexander the Great. Hugh, bishop of
Lincoln, paid the king a thousand marks instead of the
mantle of sables annually presented by his predecessors.^
Eustace, bishop of Nidaros, in Norway,^ was banished because
he refused to take part in the coronation of Suerre, prince of
Norway, which was performed against the pope's prohibition.
Alfonso, king of Castile, expelled the Pagans from his
territories-

[a.d. 1196.] William Long-beard, citizen of London, was
hung, and eight others with him.^ King Eichard gave the
county of Poitou to his nephew Otho, son of Henry, duke of
Saxony. The count of St. Giles married Joanna, formerly
queen of Sicily, and sister of Richard, king of England.
William, earl of Salisbury, son of earl Patrick, died ; and king
Richard gave his daughter to William, his bastard brother,
with the earldom. King Richard fortified the castle of
Andelys against the consent of the archbishop of Rouen, the
lord of that castle ; and thereupon the archbishop laid the
whole of Normandy under an interdict. Marchades, the in-
famous prince of Brabant, and John, <30unt of Mortain,
captured Philip, bishop of Beauvais.

[a.D. 1197.] William, bishop of Ely, died, and was buried
at the Cistercian abbey of Des-Pins.^ John, bishop " Cane-
riensis" dying, thrae others, successively elected in his place,
all died within forty days. Robert Longchamp, the chan-
cellor's brother, was made abbot of York ; Henry de Long-
champ, his third brother, was the eminent abbot of Croyland.
The archbishop of Rouen received in exchange for Andelys the
vill of Dieppe with its appurtenances, and several others.
The son of Frederic the emperor, by the empress Constance,
daughter of Roger, king of Sicily, a child seven years old, was
baptized by the name of Frederic. He succeeded Otho as
emperor of the Romans. Safadin, brother of Saladin, took
Joppa, and slew in it more than twenty thousand Christians.

^ See Hoveden, vol. ii., p, 371.

^ The archbishop's name was Eystein; Nidaros is the ancient name
of Trondhjem or Drontheim. See the Saga of king Suerre, in
Snorro's Heimskringla.

^ For the details of the insurrection under William Fitz-Osbern,
see Hoveden, vol. ii., p. 388, and Wendover, ii., 146.

* He died at Poictiers, on his way to Rome.

A.D. 1198.] REIGX OF RICHARD I. 309

Henry the emperor died and was succeeded by Otho, son of
Henry, duke of Saxony and nephew of king Richard.

Frederic, son of the emperor Henry, was made king of
Sicily by the pope. John Comyn, archbishop of Dublin, pre-
ferring exile rather than to endure the injuries done him by
the vassals of John, the king's brother, departed, after excom-
municating the oftenders. On his going away, a certain
wooden crucifix, in the church at Dublin, appeared to shed
tears, about the sixth hour, and blood and water flowed from
its right teat, which the clergy of the church collected, and
sent an account of the miracle to the pope, attested by them-
selves.^

[a.d. 1198.] Ethelwold, bishop of Winchester, had, in the
year of our Lord nine hundred and seventy-three, partly
ejected secular canons from the English church and substituted
monks. Hugh, bishop of Chester, being of a contrary opinion,
in the year of our Lord one thousand and ninety-one, expelled
the monks from Coventry and introduced clerks. In the
present year, Hubert, archdeacon of Canterbury, Hugh,
[bishop] of Lincoln, and Sampson, abbot of St. Edmund's,
by order of the pope, removed the canons, and restored the
monks.^ Pope Celestine [HL] died ; Lotharius, a cardinal-
deacon, succeeded him, under the name of Innocent III.

Otho was crowned emperor of Germany. Eustace, bishop
of Ely, was consecrated on the eighth of the ides [the 8th] of
March. Geoffrey Fitz-Peter was made justiciary of England,
in the place of Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury. King-
Richard defeated the king of France at Gisors on the fourth
of the calends of October [28th September].^ A tax of five
shillings was imposed on every plough-land throughout
England. The shrine of St. Edmund was consumed by firo
on the sixteenth of the calends of November [17th October].
It rained blood on the castle of le Roche-Andelys. Richardy
bishop of London, died: he was succeeded by William, of St.
Mary's church,'' of Norman race.

* Hoveden gives a circumstantial account of the miracles, and of
the archbishop's exile, vol. ii., p. 407.

' See Hoveden, vol. ii., p. 412.

3 See Wendover, vol. ii., p. 17.5. Hoveden, vol. ii., p. 431.

* Roger of Wendover calls him a " canon of St. Paul's, London.'*

310 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1199, 1200.

[Death of Richard I. and Accession of King John.]

[a.D. 1199.] King Richard died in Aquitaine, on the
eighth of the ides [the 6th] of April, after a reign of nine
years, six months, and ten days, and eleven days after he was
wounded by Bertrand de Gurdim, before the castle of
Chaluz.^ He was buried at Fontevrault, by the side of his
father. John, lord of Ireland, was crowned king at West-
minster, on the sixth of the calends of July [26th June] ; on
which day he gave to William Marshal the earldom of Strigul,
and to Geoffrey Fitz-Peter the earldom of Essex. Philip,
king of France, knighted Arthur, duke of Brittany. The
pope and the Romans made Otho emperor.

[a.D. 1200.] King John levied three shillings on every
plough-land, save only those belonging to the monks. Lewis,
son of the king of France, married Blanche, daughter of the
king of Castile, through the mediation, for the sake of peace,
of king John, the uncle of Blanche. Marchades of Brabant
was slain by a townsman of Bourdeaux. France was laid
under an interdict in consequence of the king having divorced
Botilde.^ King John married Isabel, daughter of the count
of Angouleme, on the ninth of the calends of September
[24th August]. John, bishop of Norwich clied : John de Grey
succeeded him. The church of Rouen and nearly the whole
city were consumed by fire. A quarrel arose between the
citizens of Paris and the German scholars, in which the
[bishop] elect of Liege was slain .^ Eustace, abbot of Haye,
illustrious for the miracles he wrought, came into England to
preach, and forbade the sale of goods in the market on the
Lord's-day.^ St. Hugh, bishop of Lincoln, departed to the
Lord at London, on the sixteenth of the calends of December
[16th November].

^ See Hoveden, vol. ii., p. 453, &c., for the details of Richards
death before Chaluz, near Limoges. He calls the person who shot
him Bertamnus de Gurdun ; by V/endover he is called Petnis Basilius,
and by Gervase Johannes Sahraz.

^ Ingebourg, sister of Canute VI., king of Denmark.

3 Hoveden gives the details of this emeute, vol. ii.. p. 484.

* For particulars of this movement against the desecration of the
Lord's-day, see Wendover, vol. ii., pp. 190 — 192. Hoveden, Yol. ii.,
pp. 526—530.

A D. 1201-4.] WARS IX NORMANDY. 311

[a.d. 12<)1.] There was an earthquake in England on the
sixth of the itles of January [8th January], King Jolin,
crossing over to Irehmd, collected a large sum of money, and,
on his return to England, was crowned at Canterbury,
togetlier with his queen, on Easter day [2oth March]. He
then went to Paris, where he was received in solemn pro-
cession and lodged in the royal palace. Walter de Ghent, the
first abbot of Waltham, died on tlie sixth of the nones
[the 6th] of May. Eustace, abbot of Haye, returned into
France, because his preaching was disagreeable to many
prelates of the church.

[a.d. 1202.] Hugh, who was abbot of St. Edmund's, and
afterwards bishop of Ely, became a monk on the feast of
the Assumption of St. Mary [15th August], The same year,
Arthur, the son of Geoflrey, duke of Brittany, was knighted
by the king of France. Eleanor was besieged by Artliur
and the troops of the king of France, in the castle of
Mirabeau ; but king John coming to the rescue, raised the
siege and took Arthur, and more than two hundred of the
nobles with him. The count of Flanders, with the countess,
set forth on the road to Jerusalem. Arthur was sent
prisoner to Falaise.

[a.d. 1203.] The king of France took several fortresses
of the king of England, in Normandy, some of which he razed
to the ground, others he preserved entire for his own pro-
tection. Hugh de Gournay, who betrayed the castle of
Montfort, which the king of England had committed to his
custody, surrendered it, with the whole domains, to the king
of France. The castle of Roche was besieged by the king of
France. The Norman . nobles revolt from king John. The
seventh part of the rents of the barons and conventual
churches in England was paid to king John. The king came
over from Normandy and landed at Portsmouth on St.
Nicholas' day [Gth December].

[a.d. 12U4.] The king levied scutage in England, namely,
two marks and a half for each scutage. The castle of Roche was
taken, and the soldiers of tlie king of England were carried
off into France. There was a red light in the sky, like fire,
on the calends [the 1st] of April, which lasted till midnight,
and the stars aj)|)eare(l also bright red. The whole of Nor-
mandy, Anjou, Maine, and Poitou submitted to the king of

312 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1205-7.

France. Queen Eleanor died on the twelfth of the calends of
April [21st March] and was buried at Fontevrault. The
count of Flanders took Constantinople and was made emperor.

[a.D. 1205.] A sharp frost lasted from the nineteenth of
the calends of February [14th January] until the eleventh of
the calends of April [22nd March]. The money issued long
before, in the year eleven hundred and fifty-eight, was this year
re-coined. At this time there was a severe famine, for the
quarter of wheat was sold for fourteen shillings. The king
of France took Chinon. Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury,
died on the third of the ides [the 13th] of July.

[a.D. 1206.] King John sailing from England with a large
army, landed at Rochelle, on the seventh of the ides [the 9th]
of July. A truce for two years was agreed on between the
kings of France and England, on the calends [the 1st] of
November. The king of England thereupon returned and
landed at Portsmouth, on the second of the ides [the 12th] of
December. John of Florence, the papal nuncio, having col-
lected large sums of money, held a synod at Reading, on the
thirteenth of the calends of November [20th October]. Then,
having carefully packed up his treasures, he hurried back to
Rome.

[a.D. 1207.] A sudden wind prostrated a great number of
houses and trees in England, on the sixth of the calends of
February [27th January]. An eclipse of the sun happened
on the second of the calends of March [28th February].

The elections of the bishop of Norwich, and of the sub-prior
of Canterbury, being annulled, Master Stephen Langton, priest-
cardinal, was elected archbishop, and consecrated by pope
Innocent [III.] at the city of Yiterbo, on the fifteenth of
the calends of July [l7th June]. The king was so indignant
at this that all the monks of Canterbury were expelled from
England,^ except fourteen who were infirm ; and some monks
from Rochester, St. Augustine's, and Feversham were substi-
tuted to perform the service ; Fulk de Canteloupe managing,
or rather dissipating, the property, and the lands of the arch-
. bishop lying waste.

King Otho came to England to confer with his uncle, king
John, and having received from his said uncle five thousand

* See Wendover, vol. ii., p. 241.

A.D. 1208, 120!).] REIGN OP KING JOHN'. 313

marks, returned to his own country. Queen Isabel bore a son
on the feast of St. Remi [1st October], who was named
Henry. ^ The thirtietli part of all tlie chattels in England
was granted to king John. The archbishop of York, only,
refusing his assent, retired j)rivately from England.

[a.d, 1208.] There was an eclipse of the sun, which
apj^eared of a red colour, on the third of the nones [the 3rd]
of February. An interdict was laid on the whole of England,
on the tenth of the calends of April [23rd March] by
William bishop of London, Eustace bishop of Ely, and Malger
bishop of Worcester, by a mandate from the pope, because
John, in disobedience to the pontifical monitions, had
refused to receive the archbishop and the monks of
Canterbury. The concubines of the clergy, throughout Eng-
land, were com})elled by the king's officers to pay ransom.
Philip, duke of Swabia, Otho's adversary, was assassinated in
his own chamber. The princes and nobles of Germany did
homage to Otho. The bishops of London, Ely, Worcester,
and Hereford, retired out of England. The Cistercian monks
celebrating divine service at the command of their abbot are
excommunicated by the pope. King John, at Bristol, during
Christmas, prohibited fowling. Henry, duke of Saxony,
Otho's brother, came to England to confer with the king, his
uncle.

[a.d. 1209.] Lewis, son of the king of France, was
knighted, with one hundred others, at Compeigne. Con-
ventual churches were allowed the privilege of having divine
service celebrated once in the week with closed doors. At
this time the kings of England and Scotland made an alliance,
hostages being delivered to the king of England. The fences
of the forests w-ere burnt, and the corn was laid open to
the ravages of beasts.^ Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury,
and the bishops of London and Ely, came over to England
about the the feast of Michaelmas, by the king's order, to
treat of an accommodation, but returned to France without
accomplishing it. The All)igeois, men of impious character
and enemies of the name of Christ, were nearly all destroyed
by an army in the parts of Thoulouse. King Otho was
crowned emperor of Home, on Sunday, the fourth of the

' Afterwards kin^j Ilonry HI.

^ By order of king John. See Wendover, vol. ii., p. 249.

314 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1210-12.

nones [the 4th] of October. Sentence was pronounced
against king John about the feast of St. Denys [9th October],
unless he made satisfaction before the feast of All Saints
[8th November], which he did not do. All the bishops left
England, except the bishop of Winchester, lest they should
have to communicate with the king. Hugh, the bishop-elect
of Lincoln, was consecrated by Stephen, archbishop of
Canterbury, at Melun, on the twelfth of * the calends of
January [21st December].

[a.D. 1210.] A dissension arose between the pope and
the emperor Otho. A frost lasted seven weeks, during which
cattle, fishes, and birds famished. The Jews, in every part of
England, both men and women, were thrown into prison.
Matilda de Braiose and her son William were starved to death
at Windsor.-^ She gave a precious cloth to the abbey of St.
Edmund's, for the use of the refectory. The pope excommu-
nicated the emperor Otho, for having persecuted Frederic,
king of Sicily. All the princes of the empire were also
absolved from their oath of allegiance to Otho. The tower of
the church of St. Edmund was thrown down by a violent
wind, on the ninth of the calends of October [23rd Sep-
tember].

[a.D. 1211.] William de Braiose died at Paris, and was
buried at St. Victor's. King John reduced Wales to sub-
mission, and subjected them to the English laws. The count
of Boulogne revolted from the king of France. Pandulph, a
sub-deacon, the pope's nuncio, and Durand, a brother [of the
Temple], came over to England to restore concord, but re-
turned without effecting it. Sampson, of blessed memory,
abbot of St. Edmund's, died on the third of the calends of
January [30th December]. King John knighted the son of
the king of Scots.

[a.D. 1212.] The emperor Otho married Isabel, daughter
of the king of Swabia, and the marriage was consummated,
but she died a fcAv days afterwards. The greatest part of the
city of London was consumed by fire, and vast numbers of
people perished by the fire, the smoke, and water.^

^ See Wendover, vol. ii., p. 254, 255.

^ The fire seems to have been confined to Southwark and its neigh-
bourhood. Matt. Paris gives the details : " On the night of the
translation of St. Benedict, the church of St. Mary, at Southwark, in

A.D. 1212.] REVOLT OF THE BARONS. 315

It was reported to kiiip: John that all the nobles of
England were released from tlieir allegianee by letters re-
ceived from the pope. Tliereupon he suspected every one,
but after takhig hostages from them, he ielt more secure.
Robert Fitz- Walter was ordered to be arrested, but he
took refuge in France, with his wife and children.-^ King
John received an assurance in writing from the barons of
England, that they would stand by him in his opposition to
the pope. Geoft'rey, a clerk of Norwich, because, as it was
alleged, he had read the letters of our lord the pope in the
presence of the barons, was summoned before the king at
Nottingham, and in the meantime was loaded, or rather
dressed with fetters, until he expired.^ The archdeacon of
Huntingdon, being imprisoned, gave the king two thousand
marks for his release. The burgesses of Bury St. Edmund's
promised, though reluctantly, that they would make a contri-
bution through the hands of a monk. The king caused the
hostages of the Welsh to be hung at Nottingham. The monks
and clergy wrote to the pope, at the instance of the king of
England, that they had freely and of their own mere goodwill
forgiven him all the injuries ho had inflicted on them.

King Philip assembled a powerful fleet for the invasion and
conquest of England, part of which was burnt on the coast by
the nobles of England. In those days there lived in England
a certain man named Peter the W^ise,^ who predicted to king
John the misfortunes which afterwards happened to him ; for
this he was ordered to be hung at Corfe. Savary de Mauleon
rising in arms against the king of England in Poitou, reduced
the whole country in a few days, Rochelle only resisting his
forces.

liOndon, was burned, and also the bridge of London between three
piers, as well as a chapel on the bridge, besides a great portion of
the city, and part of tlie town of Southwark, the fire making its way
across the bridge. IJy this calamity about a thousand people were
killed, including many women and children."

' Sec the reason of his flight in Roger de Wendover, and the quo-
tation from Matt Paris. Ibid, vol. ii., p. 208.

' See the horrid details in Matt. Paris, quoted in a note to
Wendover, vol. ii., p. 200.

^ He lived in Yorkshire, and was called Peter the Hermit. See the
particulars of his j)r()phecy in Wendover fvol. ii., p. 258], who says
that he was kept in ciiains at Corfe to await its event.

316 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1213-15.

[a.d. 1213.] Cardinal Nicholas, bishop of Tusculum,^ per-
forms the functions of legate in England. Hugh, a monk of
St. Edmund's, was unanimously elected abbot of that monas-
tery by the monks, but shortly afterwards there was a
schism in the convent respecting the election. Nicholas, the
legate of the apostolical see, was at St. Edmund's on Christ-
mas-day.

[a.d. 1214.] King John made an expedition into Poitou
about the feast of the Purification of St. Mary [2nd February].^
A battle was fought in Flanders, near Bovines, on a Sunday,
between the king of France and the barons of the king of
England, in which the counts of Flanders and Boulogne, and
William, earl of Salisbury, were taken prisoners, on the side
of the king of England. The emperor Otho was also present,
but perceiving the event of the battle he took to flight. The
general interdict in England was relaxed, by order of pope
Innocent, on the sixth of the nones [the 10th] of July. It
had now lasted six years, fourteen weeks, and three days.

[a.d. 1215.] Eustace, bishop of Ely, died on the second
of the nones [the 4th] of February. Frederic, king of Sicily,
son of the former emperor, Henry, succeeded the emperor
Otho. Hugh, the [abbot] elect of St. Edmund's, had his elec-
tion confirmed by judges, deputed by the pope, on the fifth of
the ides [the 11th] of March, and received the benediction
from Benedict, bishop of Rochester.

In this year, about Easter [19th April], the war began
between John and the barons.^ John de Grey, bishop of
Norwich, died, and Pandulph, the pope's sub-deacon, was
elected. A fire broke out on the third of the nones [the 3rd]
of June, which consumed great part of the town of Bury St.

^ Frascati. The Continuator of Florence strangelj' omits any notice
of the eventful events of this year, in which John [on the 15th May,
the eve of Ascension-day] resigned his crown and did homage to the
pope, on whose part Pandulph acted. Roger of Wendover gives
details of these important transactions, and a curious account of John's
oifer to become tributary to the emperor of Morocco, with charters
and other documents. See vol. ii., pp. 261—270 ; 283—292.

^ See Wendover, ibid., p. 293. He also gives a particular account
of the campaign in Flanders.

^ Here, again, the absence of details on king John's struggle with
the barons, his grant of the great charter of liberties, and all the
important events which occurred towards the close of his reign, is
very remarkable in a Chronicle undoubtedly cotemporary.

A.D. 1216, 1217.] DEATH OF KING JOHN. 317

Edmund's. Pope Innocent held a council in the Latcran in
tlie month of November, at which there were present tln*ee
hundred and twelve bishoj)s and more than two liundred
abbots and priors, besides the ambassadors of Frederic and
many others.

[a.d. 1216.] "Walo, a cardinal priest, by the title of St.
Martin, came to England on the thirteenth of the calends of
June [20th May]. The barons of England having given
hostages to Philip, king of France, Lewis, his son, invaded
England, and the city of London immediately submitted to
him. The pope excommunicated the barons and laid an in-
terdict on those parts of England where those rebels against
tlie king were present. [Pope] Innocent [HL] died on the
sixteenth of the calends of August [17th July] ; Honorius
[III.] succeeded him.

[Death of king John — Henry III. succeeds to the throne.^

King John died on the fifteenth of the calends of November
[28th October], and was buried at Worcester. He was suc-
ceeded by his son Henry, who was crowned at Bristol by
Walo, cardinal and legate, on the fifth of the calends of
November [28th October], He was the twenty-second king
of England from Alfred, who was the first monarch of Eng-
land after the time of the Britons.

[a.d. 1217.] In the battle of Lincoln, the count of Perche
and many others of the French were slain on the thirteenth of
tlie calends of July [19th June]. Moreover, tlie barons and the
French were repulsed from their siege of the castle by the
royal troops.^ The army, which was on its way from France
in aid* of Lewis, was nearly drowned in a naval action with
Hubert de Bur":h and the other faithful adherents of the kino-,
fought at the mouth of the river Thames, on the 9th of the
calends of September [24th August]. John, abbot of Wells,
was elected bishop of Ely. Lewis, having been absolved by
Walo, the legate, from the sentence of excommunication, re-
turned to France. Then, after two years and a half of war,
blessed peace was restored about the Nativity of St. Mary
[8th September].

^ See a circumstantial account of the battle of Tjncohi, and occur-
rences connected with it, in WenJover, vol. ii , p. 391, und sub.

318 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1218-24.

[a.d. 1218.] Ealph, prior of Norwich, was consecrated
bishop of Chichester. Walo departed from England on the
twelfth of the calends of December [20th November],
Pandulph, the bishop-elect of Norwich, was made papal legate
in England. The city of Damietta, in Egypt, which, according
to some, is called Memphis, was besieged by the Christians
after Easter [15th April]. The siege lasted more than a year
and a half, during which, at one time the Christians, at
another the Saracens, were victorious, according to their
various fortunes.

[a.d. 1219.] The city of Damietta was taken by the
Christians on Tuesday the nones [the 5th] of November,
when, out of forty thousand armed men, to whom the defence
of the place had been entrusted, and as many women, scarcely
fifty were found alive at its capture, for all had perished,
struck down by the sword of the Lord, and their putrefying
corpses were found in the sewers. Frederic [11.] was
crowned by pope Honorius as emperor of the Romans.

[a.d. 1220.] The translation [of the remains] of St.
Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury, was made on the nones
[the 5th] of June. Herbert, prior of St. Edmund's, died on
the fourth of the ides [the 10th] of September. Richard De
Lisle succeeded him.

[a.d. 1221.] Pandulph, the bishop-elect of Norwich, M^as
removed from the office of legate. Damietta was given up to
the Saracens, all the Christians being driven thence.

[a.d. 1222.] Ralph, bishop of Chichester, formerly prior
of Norwich, died. Pandulph was consecrated as bishop
of Norwich. Richard De Lisle was elected abbot of Burton ;
and Henry succeeded him in his priory, on the second of the
calends of June [31st May], A comet appeared in the
month of June. Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, held a
synod at Oxford with his suffragans.

[a.d. 1223.] About this time began the pilgrimage to
Bromholm.^ Philip, king of France, died, and was buried at
St. Denis : Lewis succeeded him.

[a.d. 1224.] The castle of Bedford,^ to which siege was laid

' See the History of the Holy Cross of Bromholm [Norfolk], and
the miracles ascribed to it, in Wendover, vol. ii., p. 446.

^ The castle of Bedford was held by Fulk de Breaute, one of king

A.D. 1225 28.] REIGN OF HENRY III. 319

in the month of June, was taken on the nineteenth of the
calends of September [14th August], and all who were found
in it were hani^fed.

[a.d. 122.3.] John, bishop of Ely, died on the second of
the nones [the Gth] of May. Geoffrey, son of the justiciary
Hubert de Burgh, succeeded him. The order of friars-
minors and preachers was first established in England.

[a.d. 122G.] William, earl of Salisbury, died. Pandulph,
bishop of Norwich, died in Italy on the seventeenth of the
calends of September [16th August]. He was succeeded by
Thomas de Blunville, who was consecrated on the seventh of
the calends of January [26th December], Lewis, king of
Erance, died at Avignon, and was buried at St. Denis : his
son Lewis succeeded him. Pope Honorius [HI.] died : he
was succeeded by the bishop of Ostia, who took the name of
Gregory IX. Disputes arose between the pope and the em-
peror, whereupon the pope excommunicated the emperor.

[a.d. 1227.]

[a.d. 1228.] The French attacked the Albigeois, with the
sign of the cross on their breasts. Stephen, archbishop of
Canterbury, died on the sixth of the ides [the lOthl of July.
Eustace de Falconberg, bishop of London, died. Geoffrey de
Burgh, bishop of Ely, died on the sixteenth of the calends of
January [17th December].

Quarrels broke out between the scholars and citizens of
Paris and the country people of St. Marcel. Wherefore the
masters gave up their lectures during a whole year, and the
scholars, being unable to endure the persecution of the legate,
who was then in France, nearly all went away. Some one
said of the legate and the queen, with rather too much free-
dom—

" We're murder'd, drown'd, stript, plunder 'd, ground.
The work, I wean, of the legate's quean."'

Master Richard Magnus [archbishop] elect of Canterbury,
Master Roger Niger [bishop-elect] of London, and Hugh,
aljbot of Ely, elected to the bishopric of Ely, were consecrated
on the fourth of the ides [the 10th] of June.

.John's foroit^n followers. For an account of its siege and capture,
see Wendover, vo!. ii., p. 451.

' " En morimur strati, ca.'si, morsi, spoliati,
Scortum Icgati nos fecit ista pati."

320 FLOKEXCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1230-36.

Ta.d. 1230.J King Henry went over to Brittany with an
army. Eaymond de Burgli, and Gilbert de Clai-e, eai-1 of
Gloucester, died. King Henry, returning from Brittany,
landed at Portsmouth in the montli of October, and was at
"Winchester on the calends [the 1st] of Xovember.

[a.d. 1231.] Richard, archbishop of Canterbury, died on
the fourth of the nones [the 2ndJ of August. Thomas, bishop
of Xorwieh, assisted at the festival of St. Edmund, and
Richard, abbot of that house, gave the benediction in the \'igil
after vespers in the bishop's presence, vested in a cope of the
fashion of the secular clergy. William Marshal, the younger,
died. Ranulph, earl of Chester, died.

[a.d. 1232.] Hubert de Burgh, earl of Kent, having in-
curred the king's displeasure, was thrown into prison. His
wile ha\Tng taken sanctuary at St. Edmund's, remained there
in security until a reconciliation took place. The bishops
made %-isitations of the religious houses throughout England.

[a.d. 1233.] Master Edward, of Abingdon, was elected
archbishop of Canterbury. Richard, abbot of St. Edmund's,
died at Ponthieu on the fourth of the calends of September
[29th August]. Henry, prior of St. Edmund's, was elected
abbot on the feast of SS. Cosmo and Damianus [27th Sep-
tember].

[a.d. 1231.] Henry, abbot-elect of St. Edmund's, received
the benediction from Hugh, bishop of Ely, at Hatfield, on the
feast of the Purification [2nd Februaiw]. At the same time
Gregory was made prior of St. Edmund's. Edmund, the
[archbishop^ elect of Canterbury, was consecrated on the
fourth of the nones [the 2nd of April. Richard Marshal was
killed in Ireland on the thirteenth of the calends of May [the
19th April . Hubert de Burgh was reconciled with the king
at Gloucester, on the tenth of the calends of June [23rd May .
The emperor Frederic married Isabel, the sister of the king
of England, in the month of June.

[a.d. 1235.^ Hugh, bishop of Lincoln, died ; he was suc-
ceeded by master Robert Grosseteste. The bishops of Ely
and Hereford crossed over to France to receive the daughter
of the count of Provence, who was betrothed to the king of
England.

[a.d. 1236.] Henry, king of England, brought over
Eleanor, daughter of the count of Provence, and married her

A.D. 1230-9.] HENRY UI. CROWyZD. 321

at Canterbury', on Sunday, the ides [the 13th] of January.
King Henn.' and his queen were crowned at London on the
thirteenth of the calends of February [20th January.] Thomas
de Blunville, bishop of Xorwich, died on the seventeenth of
the calends of September [16th August].

[a.d. 1237.] Otho, cardinal-deacon, by the title of St.
Nicholas in the Tullian Prison, came to England on the sixth
of the ides [the 10th] of July, in the character of legate.
Meanwhile there was a quarrel between pope Gregory and the
emperor Frederic.

[a.d. 1238.] A s\Tiod was held at Oxford after Easter
[4th April , of which the legate was president. During its
sitting a tumult arose between the scholars and the legate's
attendants, in which some of them were wounded and slain.
Several of the scholars were put in prison by the king's officers.
The pope excommunicated the emperor Frederic, for divers
causes, and commanded the excommunication to be enforced.

Otho, the legate, being on a \-isit to St. Edmund's, the
friars preachers came to him there, and urgently entreated
that they might be permit te<l to have a house of residence
within the limits of the liberties of that church. The monks
opposing this, the legate went in person to the aforesaid limits,
and having inspected the monks' charters of privilege,^ decided
tliat the petition both of the friars-minors and preachers
should be dismissed. This was done on the eighth of the ides
[the 6th] of June, being the octave of the Holy Trinity.

[a.d. 1239.] William de Raleigh was elected bishop of
Norwich on the fourth of the ides [the 10th] of April. A
savage race called Tartars, which, lately issuing from the
islands, had covered the face of the earth, devastated Hungary
and the adjacent regions.

Eleanor, queen of England, gave birth, on the fourteenth of
the calends of July [18th June\ to her eldest son Edward,
whose father w:is Henry, whose father was John, whose father
was Henry, whose mother was Matilda, the empress, whose
motlier was Matilda, queen of England, whose mother was
Margaret, queen of Scotland, whose father was Edward,
wliose father was Edmund Ironside, who was the son of
Ethelred, who was the son of Edgar, who was the son of
Edmund, wlio was the son of Edward the Elder, who was the
* See Wendover, Antiq. Lib., vol. ii , p. 40G, iic.

W

/ '

322 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. ] 240, 1241.

son of Alfred, The genealogy of Alfred up to Adam, the
first man, has been already given.

[a.D. 1240.] At Norwich, four Jews, being charged with
divers atrocities, were torn asunder by horses, and, at length,
hanged. The principal charge was that they had circumcised
a certain Christian boy according to the Jewish rite.

Kichard, earl of Cornwall, brother of Henry, king of
England, set out for Jerusalem, accompanied by many English
nobles, on the third of the ides [the 11th] of June. Our lord
the pope sent letters after the feast of All Saints [1st Novem-
ber] to all the prelates of the church, summoning them to be
present at the apostolic see on the ensuing Easter, without
fail, by themselves or their envoys, to treat of important
ecclesiastical affairs.

Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, departed this life on
the sixteenth of the calends of December [16th November],

[a.D. 1241.] The legate Otho set out from England, ou
his return to Eome, in the month of January ; but, as well as
two other legates, namely, those of Erance and Italy, and
many other prelates of the church, embarking at Genoa, fell
into the hands of the emperor Erederic on the fifth of the
nones [the 3rd] of May, and he imprisoned them in different
jDlaces. Some wag said concerning them —

" Three legates of the court of Rome,
With many a prelate, hastened home ;
But fettered were these lettered wights.
Despite the apostoMc rights ;
Nor could the churchmen's rank and style
Save them from suffering durance vile." ^

Pope Gregory [IX.] died on the eleventh of the calends of
September [22nd August]. He was succeeded by cardinal
Geoflfry, who was consecrated on the fifth of the calends of
November [28th October], and assumed the name of Celes-
tine ly. He filled the papal throne [only] seventeen days,
dying on the third of the ides [the 11th] of November. After
his death the see remained vacant for one year, seven months,
and thirteen days. _ ^ ,

Boniface, a native of- Savoy, was. elected archbishop of Canter-
bury on the oalends [the 1st] of Eebtwp-i'y in the present year.

* " Omnest'pC8eJatf:pagf|e.«ian^^cn^vOcati,
I Et tres lesjati veniant nuc Jis^^, ligati."

A.D. 1242-5.] REIGN OF HENRY ITT. 323

Eleanor, the wife of Geoflfry, count of Brittany, and sister
of Arthur, died. Queen INlargaret bore a daugiiter, named
Margaret.

[a.d. 1242.] Richard, earl of Cornwall, after receiving
distinguished honours from the emperor Frederic, the king
of France, and other princes beyond sea, on his return from
the Holy Land, landed at Dover on the eleventh of tlie calends
of February [22nd January]. Gregory, prior of St. Edmund's,
died on the ninth of the calends of May [23rd April]. Daniel
succeeded. King Henry levied a scutage in England of
forty shillings for each scutage. The king of England, with
his queen and nobles, went over the sea to Gascony on ihe
second of the nones [the 2nd] of Mav.

[a.d. 1243.] Queen Eleanor gave birth to a daughter,
who was named Beatrix. Sinebald, a cardinal-priest of St.
La\vrence-in-Lucina, was consecrated pope on the seventh of
the calends of July [25th June,] and took the name of Inno-
cent lY. King Henry and his queen returned from Gascony,
landing at Portsmouth on the 7th of the calends of October
r25th September]. Hubert de Burgh, earl of Kent, died on
the third of the ides [the 13th] of May. Richard, earl of
Cornwall, married the daughter of the count of Provence, who
was sister to the queen of England. William, bishop of Nor-
wich, being named to the see of Wnichester, translated
himself to Winchester by virtue of a bull of the pope, against
the king's will.

[a.d. 1244.] Dissension arose between the kings of
England and Scotland. On the death of Daniel, prior
of St. Edmund's, Richard At-Wood, a monk, succeeded
him on the second of the nones [the 4th] of June. A
violent whirlwind levelled many trees and houses on the
third of the ides [the 11th] of June. Peace was renewed
between the kings of England and Scotland on the ides
[the 13th] of August, at Newcastle. Pope Innocent came
into France and staid some time at Lyons. An extraordinary
conflict took place on the vigil of St. Lucia [12th December],
between tlie Christians and Kharismians, near Gaza, in which
all tlie army of the kingdom of Syria, with a host of CMiristians,
were put to the sword by the before-mentioned Kharismians.^

' Co?iner{nos ; the li()r(l(?.s from Kliarizim, a country oast of the
Caspian Sea, at that time comprising Khorassan.

w2

324 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1245-8.

[a.d. 1245]. Queen Eleanor bore a son, who was called
Edmund, from the name of the glorious king and martyr
Edmund ; our lord the king requiring, by letter addressed to
abbot Henry, that he should be enrolled among us. On the
eighteenth day of January, in the twenty-ninth year of the
reign of king Henry, Boniface, the [archbishop] elect of
Canterbury, was consecrated by the pope. Walter, [bishop]
elect of Norwich, was consecrated on the eleventh of the
calends of March [19th February]. King Henry led an
army into Wales after Whitsuntide [4th June]. Pope Inno-
cent held a council at Lyons, in which he summarily deposed
Frederic, the emperor of the Romans. Roger de Weseham,
dean of Lincoln, was consecrated bishop of Coventry on the
eleventh of the calends of March [19th February].

[a.d. 1246.] While pope Innocent resided at Lyons, the
landgrave Henry was elected by the princes of Germany as
their king, and the future emperor of the Romans, on Tues-
day the eleventh of the calends of May [21st April]. The
same year the landgrave fought a battle with Conrad, son of
Frederic, the late emperor, in which he defeated Conrad.
On Conrad's side there were taken prisoners six hundred
knights, and one thousand two hundred squires, besides the
foot soldiers and the slain, whose numbers are not recorded.
The archbishops of Cologne and Mentz, and the bishop of
Metz, who by order of the pope supported the landgrave
with their forces, gained a victory at Strasburg in the begin-
ning of the month of August. Sixteen counts and great
barons were taken prisoners, besides those already mentioned.
St. Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, was canonised.

[a.d. 1247.] A violent earthquake was felt on the calends
[the 1st] of March in various parts of England. The land-
grave, who in the preceding year was elected emperor, died.
St. Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, was translated on the
fifth of the ides [the 9th] of June. Frederic, the late
emperor, besieged Parma. This year, there was a coinage
in England ; on which occasion king Henry granted to the
monks of St. Edmund's a die of the new coinage, with free
liberty of using it, with a difference, as the king himself used
his own dies.

[a.d. 1248.] On the night of the Circumcision [1st
January] there was a violent storm of wind. Frederic's
army was defeated by the Parmesans, with great slaughter ;

A.D. 1248-50.] CRUSADE OP LEWIS IX. 325

Frederic himself being driven to flight hy a standard with
a ])icture of the glorious Virgin Mary, wliich the Parmesans
bore. This liappened on the twell'tli of the calends of March
[18th February].

Henry, abbot of St. Edmund's, died on the thirteenth of
the calentls of July [19th June] ; after whose death, master
Edmund de Walpole was elected abbot on the nones [the 7th]
of July. He had not been a monk two years from the time
of his taking the habit to the day of his election. The bene-
diction was given him by Hugh, bishop of Ely, on the fifth
of the calends of Octol)er [27th September].

The same year, Lewis [IX.], king of France, having taken
the cross, departed from France with his wife after Whit-
suntide [7th June], towards the Holy Land, and arriving at
Lyons, received absolution from the pope. Having obtained
his benediction, he embarked for Cyprus, and landing about
the feast of St. Michael, spent the winter there.

[a.d. 1240.] The king of France left Cyprus on the day
of our Lord's Ascension [13th May], and in Whitsun-week
[23rd May] arrived by sea before Damietta, which place he
found almost deserted, and on Thursday, in the same week,
he took possession of it and all he found there. For the
citizens of Damietta had retired towards Alexandria, believing
that the kinsx of France would come to their town. The same
year, on the twentieth day of November, the said king and
his army set forth from Damietta on their way to Mansourah,
where they arrived on the Thursday before Christmas. In
this march they suffered greatly from the attacks of the
Saracens. Having encamped at Mansourah, near a river
called Thaneos, they halted while a raft was constructed to
enable them to cross the river and give battle to the Saracens,
erecting machines to defend the passage, which, however,
were burnt by the Saracens.

[a.d. 1250.] On the first day of the CarnivaP [23rd
January], the king of France, after a consultation with his
kniglits, determined to pass the river, a Saracen being in-

' Die Cnrnijji'ivii ; Septuagosima, which is called the Sunday of the
"Carnival" in Fitz-Stephen's Hist, ol* Thomas a Bockct, and in a
charter of the year 119."). It appears to have been orij^inally the com-
mencement of the Carniprivhim before Lent, which was afterwards
deferred till Quinquaji^csiina. Every on(^ knows that the Carnival
now ends on Mardi Uras, the Tuesday after Sexagesima, six wceka
before Easter.

32G FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1250.

diiced by a reward to show them a good passage. But the
Templars, Robert, count of Artois, the lord William Longue-
spee, the lord R. de Coucy, and several others, having crossed
the river, not waiting for the king's troops and without, any
precautions, pushed forward beyond Mansourah, as it is said
at the suggestion of the count of Artois, and marching in,
disorder and without cross-bow men, they were overwhelmed
by an immense body of Pagans ; and the king was not able
to afford them any succour, inasmuch as he himself was sur-
rounded by a vast multitude of the Pagans. On that day,
therefore, and in that conflict, most of the knights Templars,
the count of Artois, William Longuespee, R. de Coucy, and
many other Christians, fell. The king halted there with his
army during the whole of Lent, suffering severely from sick-
ness and famine, besides frequent attacks by the Pagans.

Under these circumstances, the king, perceiving the various
perils which threatened him, on Tuesday after the octave of
Easter^ [3rd April], retraced his steps towards Damietta, a
movement which was betrayed to the Pagans by some
Christian renegadoes. In consequence, on the following day,
Wednesday, they attacked the Christians with such impe-
tuosity that they took the king himself with his brothers, and
the whole army prisoners, and put them in confinement at
Mansourah, where the king was detained for a month, that is,
till Ascension day [5th May], On that day the king was-
released on the terms of surrendering Damietta and releasing
the captives. Moreover, he paid for his ransom and the costs
and expenses, one hundred thousand livres sterling, or three
hundred thousand livres of Tours ; and the Saracens on' their
part liberated all their prisoners. A truce was also made for
three years, and the king departed, believing that this con-
vention would be completely carried into effect ; but the
Saracens took no pains to fulfil it, for only part of the pri-
soners were given up.

William, bishop of Winchester, died on the calends [the
Ist] of September, and was buried in the church of St. Martin
at Tours. The ex-emperor Frederic died. William, count
of Holland, was elected his successor. The same year, there
was a storm of thunder and lightning at daybreak.

^ Easter fell that year on the 27th March.

A.D. 1251-3.] REIGN OF HENRY III. 327

[Insurrectioji of tiie Pastotireaiix.]

[a.d. 12")1.] Tlie pope departed from Lyons on Wednes-
day in Easter week [16th April]. The same year, an
impostor came into Franco, and gathering about him a vast
multitude of shepherds, by giving out that ho was " Tlie
Shepherd," commissioned by the blessed Mother of God,
and that it was revealed to him by her that by such persons,
that is shepherds, the Holy Land could be rescued. Having
travelled through nearly all the cities of France, preaching,
and pretending to work miracles, he at length came to Orleans
with his followers, where a tumult broke out between him
and the clergy, in which many of the clergy, but very many
more of the shepherds, were slain on the ides [the 13th] of
June. On the day following, being Friday, the leader of the
shepherds himself was slain, and all the rest were dispersed.^

The same year, on Christmas day, Alexander, king of
Scotland, was knighted by the king of England, and on the
morrow he married Margaret, the daughter of that king.^

[a.d. 1252.] This year many died from the excessive
heat of the summer. Also awful thunder claps were heard
on the morrow of the Assumption of the blessed Virgin.
War was waged between the Germans and Flemings, in
which many thousand Flemings fell. The same year, the
new church at Ely was dedicated on the fifteenth of the
calends of October [l7th September].

Richard, prior of St. Edmund's, died on the tenth of the
calends of November [23rd October]. Symon do Luton
succeeded him as prior. This Symon was the first prior who
was elected by a scrutiny of the abbot Edmund and two
monks, one named by the abbot and one by the convent,
who with the abbot took the votes of the electors, and thus
Symon was declared prior of St. Edmund's.

[a.d. 1253.] King Henry levied an aid of forty shillings
for every knight's-fee, on creating his eldest son a knight.
The same year, king Henry, being desirous to promote the

' M;itthe\v Paris gives a long account of the follies and excesses of
this misguided rabble. See vol. ii., pp. 4ol — 4.jS, in Bohn's Atdiq. Lib.

'^ 'Sliili. of Westin. and Matt. Paris place the marriage of Alexander
III. and IMari^aret under the year 12r/2, reckoning the year as com-
mencin;; at Cbristuiaij.

328 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1253, 1254.

advancement of his second son Edmund, obtained from the
pope for five years the tenth of all the movable goods of the
monks and clergy, under pretence of a subsidy for the Holy
Land ; but this was done to enable him to make his son
Edmund king of Sicily and Apulia.^ The same year, king
Henry confirmed the liberties granted by the charter of
forests and others formerly granted, under pain of excom-
munication to those who should contravene such liberties.

The same year the king embarked at Portsmouth on the
eighth of the ides [the 6th] of August, intending to cross
the sea to Glascony to reduce the rebels in that province ;
which he effected. Robert, bishop of Lincoln, died on the
nones [the 7th] of October. The sea overflowed its banks
and flooded many places on the coast. Queen Eleanor gave
birth to a daughter who was named Catherine. Henry, son
of the emperor Frederic, and nephew of the king of
England, died.

[a.D. 1254.] Conrad, son of the emperor Frederic, died
on Ascension day [21st May]. Hugh, bishop of Ely, de-
parted this life on the eighth of the ides [the 6th] of August.
Master William of Kilkenny, the king's chancellor, was
elected bishop. Lewis, king of France, returned from the
Holy Land, and arrived at Paris on the feast of St. Mary the
Virgin, that is, her Nativity [8th September]. Edward, son
of the king of England, was knighted in Spain by the king
of Castile, on the day of the Translation of St. Edward
[13th October], and soon afterwards married the king's
sister.

King Henry, with the queen and a numerous retinue of
English nobles, returned into Gascony in the month of
November, the people there being inclined to peace ; and,
after visiting the king and queen of France at Paris, he
made a pilgrimage to St. Edward the confessor at Pontigny,^

^ See the particulars of this fruitless undertaking in Matt. Paris. —
Ibid, pp. 89, 137, 225. ,

^ Pontigny, near Auxerre, where there was a Cistercian abbey,
founded in 1118, the fine church of which still exists. The remains
of St. Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, who died in exile on the
16th November, 1240, were deposited there. He was canonised in
1246. Matt. Paris has preserved a letter from the monks to Innocent
IV., attesting the miracles performed at his tomb, vol. ii. [Antu]. Lib 1,
p. 512 ; and see the pope's letter of canonisation in the " Additamenta,"

A.D. 1255-7.] RICHARD, KING OF GERMANY. 329

and on liis departure thence went to Boulogne, where he
celebrated Christmas.

[Pope] Innocent [IV.] died. Alexander TV succeeded him.
Henry, king of England, embarked on the night of St. John
the apostle [27th December] to return to England.

[a.d. 1255.J Peter, bisliop of Hereford, at the instigation
of king Henry, and, as was reported, with the privity of some
prelates, falsely and treacherously representing himself as the
procurator of all the clergy of England, entered into an
obligation bi^iding all the religious houses in England,
exempt or not exempt, to pay certain merchants, both of
Sienna and Florence, sums, to the amount of one or two
hundred marks for the lesser houses, three or four hundred
for the larger, and for some, as much as five hundred. The
abbey of St. Edmund, king and martyr, he pledged by a bond
for two hundred marks, and took upon himself to execute
the instrument as a legally authorised procurator ; and the
consent of the pope was quoted to give authority to all this ;
I only hope it was forged. All this money was thus collected
for the purpose of driving out Manfred, the emperor Fred-
eric's son, from the territories of Apulia and Sicily, which
the pope had bestowed on Edmund, the king of England's
son, who never got them.

[a.d. 1256.] William, count of Holland, was slain in the
month of February. William, bishop of Ely, died. On the
day of the Holy Innocents [l?8th December] there was a
violent storm of thunder and lightning at Westminster. Ed-
mund, abbot of St. Edmund's, departed this life on the second
of the calends of January [31st December].

[a.d. 1257.] Pichard, earl of Cornwall, brother of the
king of England, was elected king of Germany in the month
of January. Going by way of St. Edmund's to Yarmouth,
on the day of that saint's translation [29th April], and
embarking on the feast of the apostles SS. Philip and James
[1st May], he sailed for Germany, and was crowned, as
king, by the archbishop of Cologne on Ascension day [17th
May].

The same year, Symon, prior of St. Edmund's, was elected
abbot of that monastery on the nineteenth of the calends of

vol, ii., p. .?9fi. See also Matt. Paris's account of the archbishop,
passim, in vol. i.

330 FLORENCS OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1257.

February [14th January] ; after his confirmation, messengers
were sent to the apostolic see, but they returned without
settling the affair, because there was a new rule that all who
pleaded exemption should come in person to the court of
Rome. Accordingly the abbot-elect set out on his journey
towards the said court on the third of the calends of August
[30th July], and he received the rite of benediction from pope
Alexander at Yiterbo, on the eleventh of the calends of No-
vember [22nd October].

Memorandum — that the said Symon, abbot of St. Edmund,
was the first abbot of all the exempt religious houses in Eng-
land who went to the Roman court for his benediction
and confirmation, and the costs were two thousand marks
sterling.

In the course of this year the king led an army into
Wales.

The same year, the friars-minors clandestinely entered the
burgh of St. Edmund's,-^ on the tenth of the calends of July
[22nd June], and said mass privately, but aloud, in the hear-
ing of all who assembled, at the house of Roger de Herde-
berri, on the east side of the north gate. At this time
Symon, the prior and abbot-elect, with the sub-prior and
sacristan, and several other monks, were on their road to our
lord the king, to make hhn a representation on the subject
of the election ; but notwithstanding this, the friars' chapel,
with all the houses which stood in that court, were levelled
to the ground, just as the knight before mentioned, with the
friars aforesaid, were sitting down to dinner.

Walter, bishop of Norwich, died, and was succeeded by
master Symon de Wanton, This year there were excessive
rains, causing such vast inundations, that on the ides [the 15th]
of July, houses, walls, and trees were thrown down, the hay
was swept off by the force of the current, and bridges without
number demolished.

[ad. 1258.] A general scarcity was the consequence of
the inundations of the preceding year ; for, what had rarely
happened, the quarter of wheat was sold for as inuch as fifteen

^ Matt. Paris says they were introduced by the influence of the earl
of Gloucester, a declared enemy of the abbot and convent, who had
involved them in an expensive lawsuit, and Gilbert of Preston. Vol.
iii., p. 278. s

A.D. 1258.] FOREIGNERS EXPELLED. 331

or even twenty sliillings.^ This caused such a famine, that
the poor devoured liorse-flesh, the bark of trees, and things
still worse, wliile multitudes died of starvation. The same
year all sorts of corn, of which there was an abundant crop,
were nearly rotted by the rains of the autumn, and in many
places the harvest lay in the fields after the feast of All
Saints [the 1st November] ; and many persons gathered into
their barns on Sundays and other feast-days, when the wea-
ther happened to be somewhat fair.

At this time the queen of England, and her Poitevin
brothers, and Savoyard kinsmen, drew on themselves the
hatred of the nobles of the realm by the oppressive manner
in which they used the royal authority, wherever any of them
had an opportunity of domineering. AVherefore, after Easter,
in an assembly of all the barons of England at Oxford, cer-
tain statutes^ were made for sustaining, as it was said, the
libei'ties of the church and the perogatives of the crown, in
the presence of our lord the king, and his eldest son Edward,
who ratified the aforesaid statutes, although reluctantly, by
the sanction of the royal seal and their oaths. The barons of
the realm also bound themselves to each other, by the obliga-
tion of an oath, to fight to the death, if needs be, for their
maintenance, and take arms against those who infringed them.
Pursuant to this, at the aforesaid parliament, Aimar, the
bishop-eleet of Winchester, and William de Valence, and the
other brothers of the king, both Poitevin and Savoyard, were
banished the realm of England. After their expulsion, the
crooked and extortionate dealings before alluded to gradually
came to an end.

Ilol)ert, surnamed Russel, was elected prior of St. Ed-
mund's. In the .same year, on the seventh of the calends of
May [2.jth April], the friars-minors, suj)ported by the royal
authoiity and an armed force under the orders of Gilbert de
Preston, the king's justiciary, intruded themselves into the
burgh of St. Edmund's, contrary to the rights and privileges

' Soo Matt. Paris, vol. iii., pp. 265, 283. Richard, the wealthy
earl of Cornwall and liin^ of Germany, sent over to London fifty ships
laden with wheat to relieve the scarcity.

- Sec the account in Matt. Paris of these proceedings of the Parlia-
ment lii'ld at Oxford at the feast of St. liarnahas, 1*258, commonly
culled " The Provisiona of Oxford." Vol. iii., p. 2S5.

V

332 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1258, 1259.

of that place. The moon was totally eclipsed in the night of
the fourteenth of the calends of June [19th May]. In the
same year, a violent wind blew down a number of houses,
trees, and towers, on the night of St. Andrew [30th Novem-
ber], at which time the king was at St. Edmund's.

A scutage of forty shillings was levied for the expenses of
the army in Wales. It must be understood that since the coro-
nation of king Henry, son of king John, scutages have been
imposed eleven times, as appears by the following table : —

At the retreat of Louis 2 marks 2nd year.

Biham 10 shillings 5th year.

Montgomery 2 marks 8th year.

Bedford 2 marks 8th year.

Kerry 2 marks 8th year.

Brittany, scutage 40 shillings 14th year.

Poitou 40 shillings 15th year.

Elweyn '. 20 shillings 16th year.

Gascony 40 shillings 17th year.

Gannoc' 40 shillings 29th year.

Wales 40 shillings 42ndyear.

[a.D. 1259.] Richard, king of Germany, returned to Eng-
land about the Purification [2nd February]. This year died
Eulk, bishop of London, on the twelfth of the calends of June
[21st May]. An agreement was made between Richard de
Clare, earl of Gloucester, and the convent of St. Edmund's,
on the morrow of St. Leonard's [7th November], for settling
their lawsuit touching the lands of Medehale and Keligham,
which had lasted nine years and five days. The same year
the king crossed the sea about the feast of St. Martin [11th
November], and celebrated Christmas at Paris ; and at this
time he ceded to the king of France Normandy, Poitou, An-
jou, and nearly all his territories beyond sea, with the ex-
ception of Aquitaine. The king of England now also changed
[the cognisance on] his seal, adopting a sceptre instead of a
sword ; which gave rise to the following verses : —

" Peace marks the year — on which may fortune shine —
One thousand, hundreds two, and fifty-nine.

' Glamorgan, Morgannoc,

A.D. 12G0-62.] HENRY CEDES NORMANDY, ETC. 333

Then Anjou, Poitou, Normandy, the boast
Ot" Enp;hin(rs warlike kinj^s, resigned and lost,
Were the rich trophies of the power of France ;
And Henry changed his seal and cognisance,
Assumed I he sceptre for the conqueror's sword.
Though still a king, no longer Neustria's lord."

[a.d. 12G0.] Lewis, the eldest son of the king of France,
died. Tlie king of England returned to England. The king
and the barons became at variance, because the Provisions
of Oxford were not observed. Symon de Montfort was the
leader of the barons. This year, about the Purification of St.
Mary [2nd February], the debts of the abbot and convent of
St. Edmund's were apportioned, namely, five thousand marks,
so that each paid two thousand five hundred.

[a.d. 12G1.] Tliere was an eclipse of the sun on Friday,
the calends [the 1st] of April, at the end of the fourth month
of the year, as the Arabs reckon. [Pope] Alexander [IV.]
died on the eighth of the calends of June [25th May], and
the see was void for three months on account of a disagree-
ment among the cardinals. At last, on the fourth of the
calends of September [29th August], they elected master
Jacob de Trecis, patriarch of Jerusalem, who took the name
of Urban IV. Sanchia, queen of Germany, died. Pope
Urban canonised St. Richard, bishop of Chichester, and ap-
pointed the third of the nones [the 3rd] of April to be kept
as the day of his entombment.

[a.d. 12G2.] King Henry crossed over to France on the
fourteenth of the calends of August [19th July], and soon
after his arrival, he, as well as nearly all his household, fell sick.
Many of l)is great officers died, and the rest narrowly escaped
death. Returning thence through Champagne, he crossed the
sea to England on the eve of St. Thomas the apostle, and
celebrated the feast of our Lord's Nativity at Canterbury.

Richard de Clare, earl of Gloucester, died on the eleventh
of the calends of August [22nd July]. Henry, bishop of
London, died [also] on the eleventh of the calends of August,
and Richard Talbot was elected his successor ; })ut lie too died
immediately after his confirmation, and was succeeded by
Henry de Sandwich. Johanna, wife of Henry de Hasting,
gave birth to her son John, at Alesle, on the feast of St.
John-aute-Portam-Latinam [Gth May].

334 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1263-4.

[a.d. 1263.] On the seventh of the ides [the 7th] of
February, a fire broke out with sucii fury at [the palace of]
Westminster that it burnt down the king's chamber, the little
hall, the chapel, and other buildings.

There was discord between the king and the barons, because
the king, through the influence of the queen and others,
principally foreigners, had prevailed on the pope to absolve
him from observing the statutes of Oxford and from his oath.
Whereupon the barons employed ruffians who destroyed the
property of the queen and the counsellors of the king, at
whose suggestion he had procured the absolution already men-
tioned, without respect to their order or dignity. For they
even dragged the bishop of Hereford out of his church, and
threw him into prison ; and the bishop of Norwich could find
no safety but by fleeing with all speed to sanctuary in the
liberty of St. Edmund. Indeed, at that time, the liberty of
St. Edmund's was very precious in the eyes of the barons.
They also plundered the effects of the Roman [clergy] where-
ever they could find them, driving the owners out of England ;
and they either preferred others to their churches, or gave
them up to whom they pleased ; they also treated all aliens in
the same manner.

On the eve of the feast of St. Edmund [28th April], the
friars-minors, making absolute submission, relinquished to
•the abbot and convent of that place the house which they had
occupied for five years, six months, and twenty-four days
within the vill of the saint, into which they were intruded by
our lord the king, contrary to the liberties of the aforesaid
church. They were induced to this by a certain papal
rescript obtained by the convent of St. Edmund, which en-
joined them, in virtue of their obedience, to withdraw from
that place ; so that they were not forcibly expelled, but
retired voluntarily, declaring publicly before all the people
that their possession of the premises had been illegal.

[The Civil War and Battle of Lewes. "]

By mutual consent of Henry, king of England, and the
barons before mentioned, the case of the Provisions of Oxford
was submitted to the arbitration of the king of France.

[a.d. 1264.] Immediately after Christmas, and before the
award of the king of France was published, Edward, the

A.D. 12C4.] WAR WITH THE BARONS. 335

eldest son of the king of England, having assembled a
numerous army, set to work in burning and j)lundering the
country, being joined by many powerful men, who had pre-
viously espoused the cause of the barons. The king of
France decided by his award that the king of England was
released from his obligation to observe the Provisions of
Oxford, already referred to. War then immediately broke
out in all parts of England, the royalists, lamentably, rushing
to arms against tlie barons, and the barons against the
royalists. The king of England, with his brother, the king of
Germany, and his eldest son, Edward, took Northampton,
although it was garrisoned with a large force. On the
Saturday before our Lord's Passion [13th April] the barons,
joined by the Londoners, forced the troops who held the
citadel of Pochester, who came out to fight them, to retreat
within the tower, leaving several of their comrades dead.
The barons and Londoners plundered the Jewry, and many
of the Jews were slain.

After many sad losses on the one side and the other, the two
kings fought a rather severe battle'with the barons at Lewes,^ on
the second of the ides of May [14th May], in which the barons
gained the victory. Although they took the king of Eng-
land, they did not treat him as a captive ; but, keeping him
in custody, paid him courtly observance as their sovereign.
Tlie king of Germany they carried off as prisoner. Edward
gave himself up as a hostage to procure the release of his
father and uncle ; and they swore to observe all the
Provisions of Oxford before mentioned. Thenceforth the
king went where the barons went, and did exactly, and with-
out opposition, wliat it was their will he should do. Peace
was j>roclaimed througliout the country by a royal edict.
The queen of England, who was in foreign parts, was much
distressed when she heard the state of affairs; and taking
into ])ay an immense army, meditated the invasion of
England ; but the sea and the coast being, by order of the

' The battle was fouglit on the Southdowns upon Phimpton Plain
and the hci^^hts above Lowes, the castle of Avhich was held by
the royal forces. Matt. Paris <r\vvs a circumstantial account of the
battle, and the movements before and after the important victorv,
whicli tiirew the whole power into the hands of Simon de Montfort
and the l>arous.

336 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1264, 1265.

king and barons, guarded by a powerful armament, the
enemy were afraid to cross over, and the queen's treasury
being exhausted, her forces returned home after no little
toil and disgrace. When this became known, the naval
armament was withdrawn.

Memorandum — that if the sea had not been thus guarded,
E norland would have fallen into the hands of foreio^ners.
Memorandum also, — that all the boroughs and vills, as
well as both the rural and regular clergy, were taxed accord-
ing to tlieir means to furnish for the sea-guard, both fighting
men, and the expenses of maintaining them as long as they
were employed in the service.

A comet was visible in the eastern quarter of the heavens
before day break throughout the month of August. It was
of a dull hue, and the direction of its tail was southward.

Guy, bishop of Sabina, a cardinal, and legate of the
apostolic see, came into France, and wished to pass into
England ; but, as the barons supposed that he was come in
the interest of the king and queen, he was not allowed to set
foot in England. [Pope] Urban [IV.] died at Perugio on
the calends [the 1st] of October, and the see remained
vacant four months.

[a.D. 1265.] Gruy, cardinal-bishop of Sabina, formerly
bishop of Narbonne, and now legate of the apostolic see, was
made pope on the nones [the 5th] of February, and took
the name of Clement [IV.]. Gilbert de Clare, earl of
Gloucester, and some others who joined him, abandoned
the party of the earl of Leicester for various reasons ; but
chiefly because they had not their share of the castles and
domains, which were partitioned out after the battle of
Lewes, allotted to them in fair proportion to their cost
and exertions. Charles, count of Anjou, was elected king
of Sicily and Apulia ; being also raised to the dignity of
senator of Rome, he made his entry into that city on Whit-
sun eve £23rd May].

At this time, Edward, son of the king of England, being
released from prison, was led about with the king by the
earl of Montfort wherever he went. At length they came to
Hereford, where Edward, escaping from the custody of the
before-mentioned earl, joined the earl of Gloucester and the
lords-marchers, who were close at hand, on the fifth of the

A.D. 12Gj.J the barons' wars. 337

calcuds of June [the 28tli May] ; the king and the earl of
Leicester being detained on the borders of Wales in great
straits and necessities, because the earl of Gloucester and
his i)arty would not allow them to go towards England.
Meanwhile, Symon de Montfort, the son of the earl of
Leicester, having entered Winchester by surprise, about the
feast of St. Swithun, carried off from thence a large sum of
money and much booty ; and soon afterwards, this Symon,
earl of Oxford, the son of the earl of Leicester, William de
Montchesney, and divers other nobles joined their forces at
Kenilworth, which they proposed to garrison for the earl of
Leicester. However, Edward and the earl of Gloucester, with
their adherents, falling upon them by surprise, when they
were at their ease and unarmed, made them prisoners,
stripping them of all they had, and placing them in custody
in clifferent parts of England.

Battle of Evesham.

While these events were passing, and in ignorance of what
was going on, Symon, earl of Leicester, and his partisans,
having the king with them, crossed the river Severn and
pushed forward as far as Evesham. They were pursued by
Edward and Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester, and the
lords marchers, with a large body of their followers, whc
gave them battle on Tuesday the second of the nones [the
4th] of August just outside the town of Evesham.^ In this
battle fell the earl of Leicester, his eldest son Henry, Hugh
Despencer, and nearly all the other barons who were on the
king's side. The Welsh and the rest of the fugitives, who
fled for refuge to the abbey, were horribly massacred, both
within and without the church ; the king and the royal
attendants, were captured, with their free goodwill. On the
same day, about the third liour, there fell such a storm of
rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, and the dark-
ness was so great, that at the dinner hour they could scarcely
see what was set before them for the repast.

' Seo tlio details connected with tlic battle of Evesham in Matt.
Paris, vol. iii., p. 354.

33S FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 12G5.

A JParliament at Winchester,

After this battle, the king collected his household, as if he
had never been in custody, making it much more numerous
than before ; and, proclaiming peace, summoned his parliament
to meet at Winchester, on the Nativity of St. Mary [8th Sep-
tember]. In this parliament, both the father and his son,
and the other courtiers, extorted large sums of money from
nearly all the prelates in England ; of whidh they got almost
eight hundred marks from the church of St. Edmund the
Martyr.

[Of this sum the convent paid one half ; but very unwil-
lingly, because their tenants, as well as those of the abbot,
were then with the troops guarding the sea-coast, to prevent
the queen and her army from invading England. But only
the abbot's share was claimed on default in the king's court ;
and the convent were deeply aggrieved at this apportionment
of the subsidy on this account, and because it might be made
a precedent thereafter.]

The parliament was prorogued to the feast of Michaelmas,
to be then held at Windsor ; from whence some persons about
the court were despatched to London, Avho, under colour of
smooth words, proposing a treaty with the king, which was
rather a treachery,^ prevailed on the mayor and a great num-
ber of the citizens to accompany them to Windsor. On
arriving there, they were immediately seized and thrown into
prison ; the defences of the city were occupied by royal
troops, who entirely demolishing the barriers and iron chains
•with which all the streets and courts of the city were wonder-
fully fortified, reduced it to subjection to the king ; and many
of the citizens, having disinherited the rest, ransomed them-
selves for twenty thousand marks.

The king disposed at his pleasure, both among the English
and aliens, of all the lands and possessions of those who had
been in arms against him at the battles of Lewes and Eve-
sham, or were found at Northampton and Kenilworth, except
the lands of Gilbert de Clare, carl of Gloucester ; such being
the king's policy, although there were some who did not
concur in it. The castle of Dover was restored to [prince]
^ Foidus federanteSj immo fcedantes.

A.D. 12G5-G.] DE MONTFORT EXCOMMUNICATED. 339

Edward ; and after that, queen Eleanor, with her sou Edmund,
landed in England on the fourth of the calends of November
[29th October]. At the same time Ottoboni, cardinal-deacon
of St. Adrian, the legato of the apostolic see, came to England.
Having summoned all the prelates of England, he held ii
council at the New Temple, about the feast of St. Nicholas
[Gth Uecember], in which he published a sentence of excom-
munication against Symon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, and
all liis abettors and partisans. This Symon, earl of Leicester,
as numbers asserted, wrought many shining mu'acles.

The same year, on Thursday night, being Christmas-eve,
about midnight, there was a total eclipse of the moon, -which
became of a red colour ; it lasted three hours of the night,
the sun being in the head, the moon in the tail of the Dragon.
It occurred in the year 6G4 of the Hejira, and on the fifteenth
day of the third month, according to the Arabian reckoning.
That year, among the Arabs, commenced on Monday the
fourth of the ides [the 12th] of October.

Symon, the son of the earl of Leicester, after the battle of
Evesham, withdrew from the castle of Kenilworth, with some
others who were outlawed, to the island of Axholm, which
coming to the king's ears, he caused the island to be sur-
rounded by a numerous body of troops. Symon therefore
and his companions, finding that if they resisted they should
be soon taken, pledged themselves to peace with the king,
Symon being detained in [prince] Edward's custody. More-
over, Symon and those who were with him obtained the grace
of absolution from the legate.

[a.d. 12G6.] After Christmas, Symon the younger escaped
from the custody of Edward at London, and hurried over to
Erance. A number of the outlaws seized the castle of Kenil-
worth, and, carefully fortifying it, ravaged from thence the
country round. Many of them also who had concealed them-
selves at St. Edmund's, marched out of the town in great
array on the morrow of Palm-Sunday, and seizing the moor-
lands, pushed their attack as far as Lynn, in Easter-week, but
the townsmen making a stout resistance, they retired after a
fruitless assault. On Whitsun-eve [15th May], when the
outlaws had collected in the town of Chesterfield, and having
no apprehensions, some were scattered about, and others gone
out to hunt, the roval troops came on them suddenlv, and

X 2

3iO FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1266.

attacking them, slew some, took others, and routing the rest,
retired victorious with a great booty. Meanwhile, the rest
of the outlaws again drawing together in bands in many
quarters, established themselves in fastnesses in the thickest
parts of the woods, and it was worse to fall in with them than
with a bear that has lost its whelps ; for they ravaged the
whole country round for all they wanted.

It happened this year that on the sixth of the calends of
June [27th May], John, earl Warrenne, and William de
Valence, the king's brother, came unexpectedly to St. Ed-
mund's with a crowd of followers, for the purpose of searching
out the king's enemies. Eudely summoning before them
the abbot and the burgesses of the town, they charged them
with favouring the king's enemies, inasmuch as the outlawed
barons stored and sold there the fruits of their ravages and
robberies, without any impediment. The abbot having made
a sufficient reply on behalf of himself and the convent, the
king's inquisitors threw the whole weight of the charge on
the burgesses, who, answering unadvisedly and without the
abbot's counsel, admitted their guilt by their own words.

There was also at that time a quarrel between the abbot
and convent and the burgesses, in consequence of the bur-
gesses having for a long time been rebellious against them and
their bailiff. But as they were now forced to purchase peace
with money, and this they could not accomplish without being
assisted by the counsels of the abbot and convent, they pite-
ously entreated that the money might be paid to the royal
commissioners through the mediation of the monks, and so
their liberties and those of the convent might be preserved
intact ; and this was done, for the burgesses paid down to
the king two hundred marks, and promised to pay the abbot
and convent one hundred pounds.

About the feast of St. John the Baptist [24th June], the
king lai4 siege to the castle of Kenilworth ; besides which, the
iegare, having in the first place sent them admonition, excom-
municated the besieged and their accomplices. The besieged
however manfully resisted the royal troops, and caused them
severe losses. At last, a truce was agreed on between the
king and the besieged, from the feast of St. Martin [11th
November] for forty days thence ensuing ; during which period
many of those who were shut up in the castle perished from

A.D. 12G6.] KENILWORTH SURRENDERED. 341

drinking poisoned liquids. Provisions likewise began to fail,
and their wants were well known to the royalists ; for there
was some among them who favoured the king's party, and
informed them of their designs by private signals, so that they
would never sally out against the royal forces as they Avished
and miglit have done. These traitors were however convicted
and hung in the fortress. On the eve of St. Lucia [12th
December], the castle of Kenil worth was surrendered to the
king.

Meanwhile the king, in the presence of the legate and sur-
rounded by many of the nobles and prelates of England,
exhibited the indulgence of our lord the pope, in which it was
contained that the pope had granted to the king, for three
years, the tenth of all ecclesiastical revenues in England, ac-
cording to tlio real value, except the property of the Hos-
pitallers, Templars, and Cistercians.

Moreover, during the truce, twelve men of rank were
chosen, clerks as well as laymen, who should make provision
respecting tlie rebels taken in battle, and in ])rison or besieged,
in the manner following, that is to say: that some should for-
feit their lands for one year, others for two years, some for
three, many for four, very many for five, and in extreme cases
for seven years ; and that each should pay the king within the
next three years the value of the land for seven years ; and if
they wcrc able within the next three days to discharge the
third part of the aforesaid tax, they should be put in possession
of one third part of their lands ; if they should pay a moiety
of the aforesaid charge, tliey should ha\'c lialf their lands ; if
they should pay the wdiole, they sliould recover their lands
entire ; but if within the said three years they should not dis-
charge the whole assessment, they should be for ever disin-
herited. According to this statute, the barons wlio were
taken at Kenilworth before the battle of Evesham, as well as
those who were taken in that battle and those who wore be-
sieged in the castle of Kenilworth, were allowed to depart
freely.

The Isle of Ely tahen hi/ the Outlaios,

On the fifth of the ides [the 9th] of August, the outlaws,
who, as it has been related, lurked in the woods, ajtproacliing
cautiously, seized the isle of Ely, of which the bishop kad before

342 FLORENCE OF Vv'ORCESTBR. [a.D. 1266-7.

undertaken the custody in the king's presence ; but after
tliis mishap he retired from it, and suspended the island. The
rebels plundered the whole country round, and, pushing for-
ward, took the town of Norwich on the seventeenth of the
calends of January [16th December], and carried off with
them, as it is reported, seven cart-loads or waggon-loads of
booty.

A Parliament held at Bury.

[a.d. 1267.] On the eighth of the ides [the 6th] of
^February, being the Sunday after the Purification, the king
arrived at St. Edmund's, and on the day following Ottoboni,
the legate, also came there ; all the prelates and barons of the
realm having been convoked to meet at this place by a
summons from both. The legate of St. Peter in Cathedra,
holding this council, the rebels in possession of the isle of
Ely, with their accomplices and abettors, having been pre-
monished, were publicly excommunicated, in the king's pre-
sence, unless they submitted to the royal clemency within
fifteen days afterwards. On the next night following some
dark rumours so alarmed the legate and his attendants, that
he was induced unexpectedly to take his departure for
London on the morrow, on which day the king, also leaving
the town of St. Edmund the Martyr, encamped with his army
at Cambridge, where he passed the whole Lent-fast in forming
schemes for the blockade of Ely ; meanwhile it turned out
that the siege came to nothing.

Gilbert, earl of Gloucester, entered London with a nu-
merous retinue, on the eve of Palm Sunday [9th April], and
immediately took possession of the defences of the city, with
the citizens' consent. He also cut off from the legate, wdio
was in the Tower, all egress towards the city. The king,
presently hearing of this, left the blockade of Ely, and betook
himself to Stratford, after the octave of Easter, to lay siege to
London ; and the count of St. Pol, the count of Boulogne,
and the count of Guisnes met him there, with a host of
their retainers, to aid the king with all their might.

In this state of affairs, overtures were made for the restora-
tion of peace between the king and the earl, through some
persons who carefully mediated between them, and, about
the feast of St. John the Baptist, the peace was renewed ;

A.D. 12G7-8.] MONTFORT IlESTORED. 343

the carl swearing on the altar of St. Paul's, in the legate's
presence, that he would never bear arms against his lord the
kmg, except in self-defence. To the Londoners of the earl's
parry the king promised security for life and limbs, and others
M'lio had lent their aid to the earl were admitted to pardon
on the terms before stated witli respect to Kenilworth. This
being settled, the king made his entry into London on the
fourteenth of the calends of July [18th Juno], no one who
Avas not a citizen being allowed to remain in the city beyond
the space of three days.

Some ruffians, sallying forth from their stronghold at Ely,
seized tlie horses belonging to certain persons, which were
concealed in the inner court of the abbey of St. Edmund the
niartyr, and, leading them through the midst of the infirmary,
carried them oti' to the island. A monk of tliat house havino:
pursued them made a clear statement of the facts to the
authorities in the island. At last, the islanders, accepting his
statement, left the aforesaid ruffians and the horses to the

judgment of the monk. As for the horses ^ when

[]tlie ruthans] had offi3red tlie swords whicli they had irreve-
rently drawn against the liberties of St. Edmund, the Martyr,
upon the altar of the saint, in token of their presumption.

Edward, the king's eldest son, gained an entrance into the
isle of Ely, under the guidance of some of the islanders, on
the fifLli of the ides [the 11th] of July, and it was immediately
surrendered to him, the rebels being pardoned on the terms
Ijefore stated with respect to Kenilworth.

[a.d. 12G8.] The city of Antioch was taken by the sultan
of Babylon, on Ascension day, which fell on the sixteenth of
the calends of June [17th May], through the treachery of the
Jews wlio dwelt there.

The legate Ottoboni held a council at London, after Easter
Sunday [8th A})ril], on which was chanted the gospel, " I am
the good sliepherd." In this council he absolved Symon de
Montlbrt, carl of Leicester, and the others whom he had ex-
communicated, on account of tlie insurrection already men-
tioned. He held another council at Northampton, where the
king Avas holding a parliament of his barons. In this council
prince Edward, and Gilbert, earl of Gloucester, with a number

' Here the text is defective.

344 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1268,

of other nobles,^ took the cross at the legate's hands. The
council being ended, he earnestly solicited leave to return
home ; and, embarking on the third of the ides [the 13th] of
July, crossed the sea.

Charles, king of Sicily, and his brother, the king of France^,
fought a battle with Conrad, at Benevento, and gained the
victory, on St. Bartholomew's eve. In this engagement
Conrad had sixteen thousand men in armour, and Charles
seven thousand.

General Taxation of the Clergy.

This year the clergy were enjoined, by royal authority, in
all the dioceses of England, to tax the property, both temporal
and spiritual, of all the clergy of England, except the pos-
sessions of the Templars and Cistercians, at its real value,,
according to the valuation of persons of the lower order, called
in for the purpose. This being done, all the bishops com-
pounded with the king, each for his own see. When, however,
the bishop of Norwich came to compound with the king in
respect of his bishopric for the tenths of two entire years, he
included in his agreement the lands of St. Edmund the
Martyr, having first consulted the abbot and convent on the
subject ; and, although this appeared to be contrary to the
liberties of the said monastery, nevertheless, on account of the
further time they might gain, and also because they could
deal better with the bishop's collectors than with the king's,
they preferred accounting with the episcopal rather than with
the royal officers ; and, although the clergy were only answer-
able for the tenths of two years, as they had already dis-
charged them for the first year, nevertheless they voluntarily
offered the bishop to pay him also the tenths for the third
year, besides those of the second year already granted, on
condition, however, that they should discharge their tenths
according to the taxation made by Walter, late bishop of
Norwich ; which was done. In consequence of this arrange-
ment, the convent of St. Edmund's accounted triennially for
the tenths of their property before taxed by the said bishop,
and paid them to the bishop. But as to the rest of their
goods, which had never been taxed by bishop Walter, they

^ Edmund, the king's younger son, was included in the number.

A.D. 1268-O.J PRINCES EDWARD AND EDMUND. 345

also paid the tenths of them to the king every two years,
according to tlie taxation of the aforesaid clerks.

On the feast of the apostles Simon and Jude [28th October],
in the present year, the fifty-second year of the reign of king
Henry, son of king John, was completed.

Pope Clement [IV.] died on St. Andrew's eve, and the see
remained vacant two years .... months,^ three week;^, and
four days.

[a.d. 12G0.] Edmund, son of king Henry, married the
daughter and lieiress of the count of Aumale, the marriage
being celebrated at Westminster, in the presence of the king,
on the fifth of the ides [the 9th] of April.

There was a quarrel between Edward, the king's son, and
Gilbert, earl of Gloucester, on account of the too great
intimacy wliich Edward was said to have indulged towards
the earl's wife.

The earl of Gloucester arrested, at Cardiff, a caitiff who had
attempted to poison him.

King Henry transferred the relics of St. Edmund into a
new shrine, which he had caused to be constructed, ot"
admirable workmanship, depositing them in tlieir new recep-
tacle on the day of the saint's Translation [18th February].

The king required the clergy to advance the tenths for the
fourth year to come ; against whicli the clergy generally made
an appeal, as the bishops were unwilling to do so.

[Prince] Edward and the earl of Gloucester were made
friends, through the intervention of many of the nobles.
Edward having crossed the sea to confer with the king of
France touching the affair of their expedition to the Holy
Land, they came, it is reported, to the following agreement :
viz., that tlie king of France should lend tlie lord Edward
seventy tliousand marks, on the security of all Edward's
domains over sea ; and that if this sum were not paid within
three years, the lands aforesaid should belong for ever to the
king of France ; and that, as he was to accompany the king
to tiie Holy Land, he should render liim fealty as one of his-
own barons. Edward sent his son Henry as a hostage for the
performance of tliis agreement, but, for some reason wliich is-
unknown, he was immediately sent back.

' There is a blank in the MS. Trivet says the sec was vacant three-
years two months and ten days.

346 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1269-70.

The city of Nocera vras surrendered to Charles, king of
Sicily, on St. Bartholomew's eve [23rd August], Three
thousand Saracens were there put to death, the rest of the
people in the city being spared, and subjected to tribute.
The justices in eyre in ]!^orfolk and Suffolk were Nicholas de
Turri, Henry de Montfort, and Henry de Wihamton.

[a.D. 1270]. On the eve of Palm Sunday, and on the
day of that feast [5th and 6th April], the Christians and
Pagans had an engagement between Acre and Saphran, in
■which, after eight emirs and eighteen troops of Pagans had
been put to the sword, the Pagans gained the victory,
although not without great loss on their side. The Christians
were nearly all killed ; and this happened through the insub-
ordination of the Temj^lars. Here also fell the flower of
knighthood, John de Merlawe, a brother of the Hospital.

Lewis of France embarks for the Holy Land.

Lewis, king of France, commenced his journey to the Holy
Land on the seventeenth of the calends of April [16th March] ;
and embarked on the Mediterranean Sea at Aigues-Mortes^
on the feast of St. James [25th July]. Earl Warrenne
assaulted the lord Alan de Zouche in Westminster-hall, on
the bench before the justiciary, on the octave of St. John
|]lst July], and so severely wounded him, that he died on
the feast of St. Lawrence [10th August]. His eldest son
Hoger had recourse to flight, but narrowly escaped.

Eleanor, wife of the lord Edward, the king's eldest son, gave
birth to a daughter at Windsor, and called her Eleanor.
Ploger Bigod, earl of Norfolk and Suffolk, marshal of England,
died at Cuhahe, on the feast of the Translation of St. Martin
[4th July]. He was buried at Monks-Thetford, on the eve
of the Translation of St. Benedict, and dying Avithout issue
had for successor in his inheritance and honours, Roger, son
of Hugh Bigod, the brother of the deceased.

Prince Edtcard departs for the Holy Land.

Edward, the eldest son of the king of England, Henry

of Almaine, and some others of the English nobles, set sail

' Aquam mortuam ; Aig'ues-Mortes, a toAvn still retainins: its ancient
fortifications, between Aries and Montpelier, in the delta of the Rhone,
joommunicating with the Mediterranean by one of the numerous streams
which intersect the marshes.

A.D. 1270-71.] rnixcE Edward's crusade. 3-17

from Dover on the morrow of St. Lawrence [lltli August],
on their way to tlie Holy Land, throuGfh Gascony. On
JNIichaehnas clay they embarked on the Mediterranean Sea,
and in company witli the kings of France and Italy, and
some nobles of both those countries, instead of making* a
direct course, sailed towards Africa, and entered the terri-
tories of the king of Tunis, where the ancient and celebrated
city of Carthage stood ; and entering into treaty with this
pagan king, concluded a truce with him for fifteen months.
The lord Edward, departing from Africa, spent some time in
Italy. Lewis IX., king of Fi'ance, died during the expedition,
leaving his son Philip his heir. He was buried at St. Denis.

Boniface, archbishop of Canterbury, died at Baleys, his
country seat, on the fifteenth of the calends of August [18th
July], and Adam de Chittenden, prior of that place, and a
native of Kent, was elected his successor. The king and
his eldest son opposing his appointment, he was compelled
to resort to the court of Rome. Guy de Montfort married
at Yiterbo the daughter and heiress of count di Ruvo,^ on the
feast of St. Lawrence [10th August]. Adam de Wich, abbot
of Waltham, died on St. Lambert's day [17th September],
and was buried at Waltham on the morrow. The moon was
eclipsed on the night preceding the first of October.

[a.d. 1271]. Walter Delaville, bishop of Salisbury, died
on the octave of the Epiphany [13th January]. He was
succeeded by Robert, the dean of that church, who was con-
firmed by the chapter there, the see of Canterbury being then
void. Edmund, son of the king of England,^ crossed the
sea to visit the Holy Places and his eldest brother. On the
fifth of the calends of February [28th January], the tower
of the church of St. INIary-at-Bow, in London, fell, and
crushed to death numbers who were in the church at the time.

Henry, the eldest son of the king of Germany, passing-
through Viterbo, on his way from Africa, was cruelly nnu'dered
while devoutly attending divine service in the church of St.
Silvester in that city, by the lords Simon and G. de Montfort,
count di Ruvo, and several others, who joined in the attack,

' Jiubeiy now Ruvo, a town in Apulia, near Bari. He was of the
Ahlobrandini family.
- Karl of Leicester and Lancaster.

S4S FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1271-2.

on the morrow of St. Gregory [13tli March]. His attendants
brought his remains to England, and buried them at Hayles
on the twelfth of the calends of June [21st May].

A divorce was pronounced at Norwich on the fifteenth of
the calends of August [18th July], between Gilbert, Earl of
Gloucester, and the countess Alice, his wife. On the sixth
of the ides [the 8th] of August, the lord John of Win-
chester, eldest son of the lord. Edward, the eldest son of
Henry, king of England, was brought to Westminster for
interment.

Philip [III.], king of France, was crowned at Eheims on
the feast of the Decollation of St. John the Baptist [29th
August]. On the twelfth of the calends of December [20th
November], a son was born to Henry de Lacy, earl of Lin-
coln, whom he caused to be named Edmund, after St. Edmund.

About the hour of vespers, on the third of the ides [the
11th] of September, such violent rain fell suddenly at Can-
terbury over the city and adjacent country, that the greatest
part of the city was suddenly inundated ; and the storm of
rain continued until the first hour of the ensuing day.

On the calends [the 1st] of September, Theobald, arch-
deacon of Liege, who was then in the service of the lord
Edward, eldest son of the king of England, in the parts of
Acre, was elected pope, and took the name of Gregory X.
Before his election, the see remained void two years, nine
months, three weeks, and four days.

The lord Philip Basset died at Weldon on the eve of All
Saints [31st October]. Eulk, archbishop of Dublin, also
died.

[a.D. 1272.] Theobald, archbishop of Liege, who v/as a
native of Piacenza, lately elected the successor of St. Peter,
was consecrated priest on the eve of St. Cuthbert [19th
March], and on the morrow, being Sunday, that is the second
in Lent, he was raised to the summit of the priesthood,
being solemnly consecrated to the papal see by the name of
Gregory X.

Death of Micliard, Earl of Cormuall and King of Germany.

Bichard, king of Germany, departed this life at Berkhamp-
stead on the fourth of the nones [the 2nd] of April, and

A.D. 1272.] rJCILVRD BUIIIED AT IIAYLES. 3-19

was buried at the monastery of Hayles/ which he had himself
founded and endowed with large possessions ; his obsequies
behig i)erfornied there with great solemnity on the ides ftlie
13tli] of April.

A destructive Fire and great lliots at Nonvich.

At Xorwich, on the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul,
while the monks were at primes, the great tower of the
church was suddenly struck by a thunderbolt on the north side,
with such violence that some of the stones were torn away,
and carried with great force to a considerable distance ; an
occurrence wliich must have been considered deeply portentous
by all the sons of holy mother church.

On the morrow of St. Lawrence [11th August], after
having made some frequent assaults on the priory [at Nor-
wich], after the gates of the convent had been violently broken
down by the enemies of the monks, and after they had suffered
other enormous injuries, just as they had taken their refection,
their holy mother church was entered by the foulest rabble of
her sons, namely, the whole commonalty of the city of Nor-
wich, to the number, it is believed, of thirty-two thousand,
all strongly armed. Joined by the women of the city, they
set fire to the i)riory in several places, and reduced the whole
of it to ashes, together with the church, although it was built
of stone; three or four buildings only, not worth mentioning,
escaped, and nearly all the monks were forced to make then-
escape. Thirty of their servitors, or thereabout, were also
put to death with various kinds of torture, and that in the
very bosom of their mother. Dragging others from the same
place, as from a mother's breasts, they In-onght tliem before
their own tribunal, and condemned them to the same fate,
sparing neither age nor rank. They also tore in pieces, or
plundered and carried off, all tlie \aluables in the treasury,
the vestry, the refectory, and the other offices of the church,
and tlie almonry. The monks, escaping privately, one by
one, with great difficulty saved their lives.

In consequence of this, there was a convocation of the
whole diocese at Eyam on the feast of the Decollation of St.

^ * Ilavlos, in his oarldom of Cornwall, whore \vv have just seen that
his eldest sou lieury was buried eleven months before.

350 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1272.

John the Baptist [29th August], at which the bishop and all
the assembled clergy publicly and solemnly issued the sen-
tence of excommunication, with the ringing of bells and
lighted candles, against the perpetrators of this outrage, as
well as all who gave their countenance, aid, or advice, or had
any communication with them in any matter of business.
This sentence was renewed and confirmed in a council of the
bishops held at London on St. Luke's day [18th October], and
the king going towards the neighbourhood of Norwich, in
order to take condign punishment on the heinous culprits,
arrived at St. Edmund's on St. Griles's day [1st September],
and summoned aU the peers and barons of England to meet
him there and consult on the business. Having stayed at the
abbey eleven days, on the feast of SS. Proteus and Tacinthus,
he set forth towards Norwich to take vengeance for the
enormous crime ; but he abated somewhat of its fulness.
For out of the vast multitude, only four men and one woman
paid the forfeit of their lives for the rest, some of whom were
eased of their purses by the courtiers. Of those who suiFered,
some were drawn asunder in the streets of the city, some
burnt, and others hung.

Edmund of Almaine, earl of Cornwall, was married to
Margaret, sister of Gilbert, earl of Gloucester, on the morrow
of St. Faith [6tli October], and was knighted, as well as
Henry de Lacy, earl of Lincoln, on the feast of the Transla-
tion of St. Edw-ard [13th October], Adam de Chillenden,
the archbishop-elect of Canterbury, who sued in the court of
Eome for his confirmation in that preferment, perceiving that
from the influence of his determined rivals he made little
progress in the affair, and that even if he persisted, he should
be nonsuited, a result which would attach no small disgrace
to his name, he gave in his resignation both of the election
and dignity. Thereupon, the pope, by his apostolical autho-
rity, substituted for him friar Robert de Kilwardby, prior
provincial of the order of friars-preachers in England.

On the feast of St. Calixtus [14th October], the king gave
the Jews' synagogue, in the city of London, to the friars-
penitents of Jesus Christ; which building, to add to the
mortification of the Jews, was consecrated by one of the'
bishops called in for that purpose.

A.D. 1272-3.] ACCESSION OF EDWARD I. 351

Death of King Henry III.

Henry, king of England, of happy memory, son of king-
Jolin, after a reign of fifty-six years and twenty-nine days,
ended his days at Westminster,^ on the feast of St. Edmund,
arehbishop of Canterbury [IGthXovember], his eldest son Ed-
ward being then beyond sea ; and on the day of St. Edmund,
king and martyr, next following [20th November], ho wa.s
honourably interred there. And because, as we have jusfc
said, the lord Edward was tlien in distant parts, the earls,
Edmund of Cornwall and Gilbert of Gloucester, were by
common consent of the nobles appointed regents, and con-
servators of the peace, until the lord Edward's arrival.

Eleanor, the wife of the lord Edward, bore a son at Acre,
who was named John. Ednunid, the son of the king of
England, returned from the Holy Land, leaving in those
parts his brother Edward, who had recently received a wound
which nearly caused his death, from some secret assassin;*^
but through Him who has respect unto the humble, he was
perfectly restored to health in a short time. This happened
on St. Botolph's day [17th June]. Roger, abbot of St.
Augustine's, closed his days on the ides [the 13tli] of De-
cember. The pope held a general council, two years after the
la-st, in the beginning of the calends of May [lltli April].

Violent Rains and Inundations,

[a.d. 1273.] March was very windy, and more rainy than
it had been in any man's memory. Especially on the last day
of the month, the third of the calends of April [30th March]
the rain continuing for nearly a night and a day, caused in-
undations which almost equalled those of the year 1258;
while in some parts of England they appear to have exceeded
in violence those of the former year, for they rose five feet
above the bridge at Cambridge. Likewise at Norwich, their
ravages were such that neither its being sacked by the islander.-,

' Matt. Paris concludes his history with the death and some account
of the character of Henry III. He relates that he was taken ill at
Bury, and died there. It is singular that our continuator, who appears
to have hecn a monk of that ahhey, and mentions the king's coming
there just previously, should have^)mitted the details given by Malt.
I'ai-is ; and he states that the king died at Westminster.

^ See Matt. Paris, vol. iii., p. 378.

352 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1273.

nor the recent proceedings of the royalists, caused so much
disaster to the phace.

The lord Edward having been met by the cardinals at
Orvietto, five stages from Kome, on St. Yalentine's day, was
received by the pope and the whole people [of Eome] wdth
extraordinary honours. Count di Euvo cleared himself of
the murder of the lord Henry of Almaine before the lord pope,
and the lord Edward and a large body of knights, by taking
an oath that he was not privy to his assassination. The pope
granted to the lord Edward the tenth of all ecclesiastical
revenues, both temporal and spiritual, for one year, and
another year's tenth to his brother ; in recompense of the
expenses they had incurred in the Holy Land.

Master Eaymond de Nogeres, prior of St. Caprais at Agen,
came into England to execute this business. Wherefore the
convent of St. Edmund's compounded for the tenth of all
their property, jointly wdth the abbot, for one year at one
hundred pounds, and in like manner for the second year the
abbot paid fifty marks, and the convent one hundred marks
of their proper nionies; Avith the addition of the tenths of
spirituals as regarded the convent for the first year, but not
for the second.

Adam, who had been archbishop elect of Canterbury,
returned to England, and was reinstated in his priory.

Story of an Evil Spirit.

An evil spirit caused great alarm at a vill called Trouvllle,
in the district of Rouen, by audibly rapping with hammers
on the walls and doors. He spoke with a human voice,
.although he was never visible, and his name, he said, was
William Ardent. He frequented the house of a certain worthy
man, to whom he did much mischief, as well as to his wife
and family ; and the sign of the cross and the sprinkling of
holy water failed to drive him away. Moreover, when the
priests conjured him, in the name of the Lord, to quit the
place, he answered: *'I shall not depart; nay more, if I
please, I shall kill you all. The cross I know^ well enough,
and as for your holy water, I have no fear of that." This
spirit haunted the manor and mansion of the persons just
mentioned, from the feast of All Saints [1st November] until
after the Purification [2nd February], uttering many lasci-

A.D. 1273, 1274.] coixciL at lyons. 353

vious and scoffing speeches. At last he went away at Septua-
ge-sima, sayinf,' that ]ie sliould return at Easter, which he
never did.

Henry de Sandwicli, bishop of London, ended his days at
his manor of Ilornsey, after being in tlie greatest straits during
the whole time of his episcopacy, on the octave of the Nativity
of St. Mary [15th September] ; and was succeeded by master
John de Chishull, the dean of that cliurch, wlio was elected
on tiie morrow of St. Nicholas [7th December].

Our lord the pope came to Lyons on tlie eleventh of the
<?alends of December [21st November]. Henry de Beaune,
prior of Ely, died on Christmas day, and was succeeded by
Jolm de Homingstone, a monk of the same cloistered house.
A son was born to the lord Edward, at Beaune in G-ascony,
on the night following the feast of St. Clement [24th No-
vember] ; to wliom ho gave the name of Alphonso, after the
king of Spain, St, James,i and Portugal. Bodolph, count of
Hapsburgh, was elected king of Germany.

[a.d. 1274.] The pope held a council at Lyons, which
lasted from the feast of the apostles Philip and James [1st
May], until the sixteenth of the calends of August [17th
July]. In tliis council a grant of tenths was made, for the
succour of the Holy Land, from all ecclesiastical persons of
whatever condition, rank, or order, out of all their rents,
fruits, and ecclesiastical revenues.

Piobert, bishop of Durham, Lawrence, bishop of Bochester,
and William, bishop of Bath and Wells, died. Kobert de
Halihmd, a monk of that church, and prior of Finchale, suc-
-ceeded to Durham ; the lord Walter de Merton,=^ the king's
oliancellor, was preferred to the see of Bochester, and the lord
Bobert Burnel to that of Batli and Wells. Adam de Chil-
lenden, the prior, and formerly archbi.^hop-elcct, of Can-
terbury, also died. The lord Henry, son of the lord Edward,
and Eveline, the wife of the lord Edmund the king's son,
iind countess of Aumale, were buried at Westminster on
the tliirteenth of the calends of November [20th October].

Coronation of Edward L
The lord Edward, the eldest son of the king of England,

' Galicia ?

2 Walter de Morton, the founder of Morton College.

354 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1274, 1275.

having settled lils long-pending differences with the countess
of Flanders, came over to England and landed at Dover on
the morrow of St. Peter ad Yincula ; and on the feast of St,
Magnus, the Martyr, [19th August,] next following, was
solemnly crowned king of England by Eobert, archbishop of
Canterbury, his wife Eleanor being crowned at the same time.
The kino; of France married the daughter of the duke of Bur-
gundy, reciprocally giving his sister in marriage to that
duke.

[a.D. 1275.] Eleanor, queen of England, the king's wife,
gave birth to a daughter, who was named Margaret, and born
at Windsor. Margaret, queen of Scotland, and Beatrix,
countess of Brittany, both daughters of king Henry, ended
their days.

Our lord the king and queen Eleanor came in pilgrimage
to St. Edmund's on the fifteenth of the calends of May [I7tk
April], in performance of a vow they had made in the Holy
Land ; and the king, with the advice of his council, after
examining the muniments of the abbey of St. Edmund's,
granted to the convent the right of freely inspecting weights
and measures, without any interference of his own officers.

John, bishop of Hereford, died, and was succeeded by-
Master John de Canteloupe, a canon of that church. One of
the order of preachers at London, called friar Eobert of
Reading, an excellent preacher, and deeply skilled in the
Hebrew tongue, apostatised, and, being converted to Judaism,
married a Jewess, was circumcised, and took the name of j
Haggai. The king having summoned him, and finding him
argue in public with great boldness against the Christian law,
turned him over to the archbishop of Canterbury. On the
third of the ides [the 11th] of September, about the third
hour, there was a great earthquake at London^ and throughout
nearly the wdiole of Eno;land.

The barons of Enoland Q:ranted to the king the fifteentij
penny. Llewellyn, prince of Wales, revolted against the king
of England. The Jews throughout the realm were prohibited
from thereafter lending money upon usury, but they were in
future to gain their living by commerce, under the same laws,
in buying and selling as Christian merchants. It was als»
enacted that each of them, of w^hatever age, condition, or sex^
should pay the king annually a capitation tax of three-

A.D. 1275, 127G.] EDWARD I. AMERCES NORWICH. 355

pence, and tlmt those wlio woiiM not comply wlzh tliis
provision should depart from England before Easter next
following.

Our lord the king pronounced sentence on the burgesses of
Norwich that, for their profanation of the body of our Lord,
they should provide at their own cost a pyx of gold, of the
value of one hundred pounds, to contain the host. Also,
that for the damage done to the convent, they should contri-
bute three thousand marks, to be paid within six years. And
that the bishop, at the expense of the burgesses, should send
to the court of Kome, jointly with them, and exhibit an
attestation of the accord thus settled. And that the convent
might remove their gate to any part they pleased, except the
water-side, the town continuing, as to the privation of the
liberties of the burgesses, in the same state in which it was
on the day of his father's death.

The prior's chapel [at Bury] was dedicated to the honour of
SS. Edmund and Stephen, martyrs, by the lord William of
Ilagusa, archbishop *' Medorum," on holy Innocents' day
[28th December].

The grant of tenths made at the council of Lyons caused
grievous and intolerable exactions ; for the collectors of these
tenths were content witli no man's taxation, and even com-
pelled nearly all and each to declare to them on their own
word, and upon oath administered to them in person, the true
value of all their incomes. Wherefore the tenth apportioned
to the convent of St. Edmund's amounted to two hundred and
forty-one marks, three shillings, and sixpence, on the oaths
of five of the monks specially sworn to make a true return.
The tenth at which the abbot was rated amounted to one
liundred pounds. The Jews were expelled from Cambridge
by the queen-mother. The lay-brothers of Furnival, of the
Cistercian order, killed several of the monks.
_ [a.d.^ 127G.] The lord Aymer de :Montfort, with his
sister Eleanor, who was bethrothed to Llewellyn, jn-ince of
Wales, were captured at sea, on their voyage to Wales, by a
certain knight called Thomas the Archdeacon, who came on
them unawares and delivered them to the custody of our lord
the king.

Pope Gregory [X.], who had imposed the tenths, was

y2

356 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER, [a.d. 1276, 1277.

decimated^ himself, ending liis days at the city of Eieti^ on
the tenth of the month of January ; he sat four years, four
months,, and nineteen days. Peter, bishop of Ostia, of the
order of preachers, succeeded him under the name of Inno-
cent y. ; but he died on the eve of St. John the Baptist
[23rd June]. He was succeeded by Ottoboni, a cardinal-
deacon by the title of St. Adrian, who took the name of
Adrian [V.] ; but dying shortly afterwards, within the octave
of the Assumption [22nd August], Peter de Spineto, bishop
of Frascati, a native of Spain, was elected his successor
on the eve of the Holy Cross [13th September], and took
the name of John XX.

G-reat part of Cambridge, with the church of St. Eennet,
was consumed by fire. One Michael Tovy, mayor of London,
was hung in the Tower, at the circuit of the Justiciary.
Edmund, earl of Lancaster, the king's brother, married the
queen of Navarre. Queen Eleanor gave birth to a daughter,
to whom she gave the name of Berengaria. The remains of
St. Richard, formerly bishop of Chichester, were translated
with great pomp on the eve of St. Botolph [16th June],
in the presence of the king and queen of England, and some
other great personages. One moiety of the fifteenth penny
granted to the king the year before was now collected.

The kings of France and Spain having quarrelled, the king
of France marched a numerous army against the Idng of Spain
with so little caution, that he retreated without his expedition
having answered much purpose. A total eclipse of the moon
occurred on St. Clement's night [23rd November], the
moon being for the space of nearly tw^o hours so entirely
obscured, that scarcely a vestige of it was visible. A murrain
among sheep commenced this year in Lindsey, and continuing
for several years spread through nearly the wdiole of England.

Invasion of Wales,

[a.d. 1277.] The king of England sent a numerous army
into Wales under the command of H. de Lacy, earl of Lincoln.
The king himself, while the army proceeded on their march

^ '' Qui decimas imposuit decimo die . . . decimatus est."
- Apud urbem Reatinam. According to others, Gregory X. died
at Aretiura (Arezzo).

A.D. 1277.] EDWARD l/s PROGRESSES. 3.57

towards Wales, deviated from their route into the parts of
Norfolk and Suffolk, and having kept the least of Easter at
Norwich, returned to London through the maritime districts
of Norfolk and Essex. But inmiediately after the feast of
St. John, he led in person nearly the whole military array
of England into Wales.

The great khan of the Tartars, whoso name was Moal,
having- sent six ambassadors of the highest rank amonor his
people from the eastern part of the world, they arrived about
the feast of Easter [28th March], accompanied by an inter-
preter, and apologised for their master not having met
the king of England when he was in the neighbourhood of
Acre ; and they also implored his aid against the enemies of
the cross, that is the Pagans. The lord pope [John XX.]
closed his days at Viterbo on the sixth of the ides [10th] of
March; from which time the see was vacant until the
feast of St. Catherine's [25th November]. On that day the
lord John of Gaieta, cardinal-deacon, by the title of St.
Nicholas-in-Carccre-TuUiano, was elected pope, and took the
name of Nicholas III.

The sultan of Babylon, Avitli an army containing nearly all
the best troops in his dominions, encountered the Tartar
hordes between Armenia and the river Euphrates, about the
sixteenth of the calends of August [17th July], when he
and nearly all his army Avere put to the sword. In this battle
forty-two thousand of the Hagarenes, and fifteen thousand
men of the Tartar host, fell, the Avhole being nearly exter-
minated.

There was violent and intolerable rain on the sixth of the
ides [the 10th] of October, which continued falling for two
days and a night. The rains were followed by such vast
inundations that in some places, men, oxen and sheep, and
other cattle in the field were overtaken and drowned during
tlie storm in the night : they also levelled to the ground
houses, walls, and trees, with other buildings which resisted
Hm^ current. This storm was most violent about St. Edmund's,
Essex, and the county of Cambridge, while in other parts of
England, it occasioned little or no damage. Walter de
Morton, bishop of Eochester, ended his days, and was suc-
ceeded by John, monk and precentor of the same church.

3j8 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1277, 1278.

Submission of Llewellyn, Prince of Wales.

After some losses on both sides, Llewellyn, prince of Wales,
submitted himself entirely to the pleasure and disposal of the
lord king with scarcely any conditions as to life or limbs, his
territories and honours, or anything else. The king, after
some deliberation, received him to favour and brought him
to London, to treat of the terms and form of peace. Llewellyn,
having kept the feast of Christmas with the king, returned to
his own country.

[a.D. 1278.] Eoger, bishop of Norwich, died at his manor
of Sutlilingham^ on the feast of St. Yincent, the Martyr
[22nd January] ; and was buried at Norwich on the octave
of St. Agnes [the 28th January]. He was succeeded by
master William de Middleton, archdeacon of Canterbury, who
rras elected on the feast of St. Matthew the apostle [21st
September].

The other moiety of the fifteenth pennies, being collected,
the abbot and convent of St. Edmund's compounded with the
king for their fifteenth at ninety pounds, the abbot contribut-
ing thirty pounds as his share, and the convent sixty, as
theirs.

Eobert, archbishop of Canterbury, being summoned to the
court of Rome by the lord pope, was made bishop of Ostia,
with the title of cardinal-bishop of St. Rufina ; on his being
thus removed, Robert Burnel, bishop of Bath and Wells, and
the king's chancellor, was presently named as postulant for
the archbishopric by the convent of Canterbury.

A remarkable battle was fought at Aix-la-Chapelle in Ger-
many, where the count de Golc, with three hundred of his
followers, all of noble birth, and nearly the whole of their re-
tainers, perished, not so much by human means as by a divine
judgment. The king of Bohemia having revolted against
Rodolph, king of Germany, after their treaty of alliances
had been broken by him, was slain by the king of Germany
with fifty thousand of his troops, who perished to the last man.

Llewellyn, prince of Wales, married at Worcester Eleanor,
the daughter of Symon de Montfort, formerly earl of Leicester,
on the feast of the translation of St. Edward [13th October],
tlie kings of England and Scotland being there present.

* Probably Soiith-Eerlingliair, a manor of the bishop of Norwich.

A.D. 1278, 1270.J TREATMENT OF THE JEWS. 3-30

The kin? and queen came to St. Edmund's on St. Clement's
dav [2.3i-d Xovembor], in their way to Norwich to attend the
dedication of tlie church, Avhich took ])kace on the fourth of
the calends of December [2Sth Xovember], the greatest part
of the nobles of England being present with the king.

llobert, bishop of Carlisle, died ; and was succeeded by
Kulph, prior of Gisburn. A circuit was made by the judges,
the lord John de Wallibus, and the associates assigned him,
in the county of Cumberland ; the lord Iloger Loveday, with
those assigned him, going into Herefordshire.

The Houses of tJie Jews and Goldsmiths searched.

All the Jews in England, of every condition, age, and sex,
were suddenly arrested on the octave of St. Martin [18th
November], and placed in safe custody in different castles
throughout the country. While they were thus detained, the
interior of their houses was carefully searched, and in many of
them were found tokens of their being money-clippers, Tvitli
tlieir tools ; most clear evidence of the fact. In like manner,
all the goldsmiths throughout England, being money-changers,
were arrested on the morrow of St. Nicholas [7th December],
and being placed in safe custody, their houses were searched.
]>y the king's orders, who in this business paid no respect to
the liberties of any place, five goldsmiths and three others be-
longing to the town of St. Edmund's were taken to London,
in the custody nevertheless of the bailiff of the said town, to
tlie injury, as appeared to many persons, of the liberties there-_
of. But when this came to the king's knowledge, he ordered
all the before-mentioned persons to be sent back, to abide
their trial there according to their deserts, whether guilty oi:^
not guilty.

The Tartars take possession of the kingdom of Jerusalem.
The king commanded that all persons having twenty pounds
[a-year] in land, should receive knighthood.

[a.d. 1279.] The king levied scutage for the expedition
to Wales, at the rate of forty shillings for every scutage.
Eleanor, queen of England, gave hirth to a daughter at AVind-
sor, on the eve of St. Gregory [11th INIarch], and named her
JNIary.

360 FLORENCE OF AVORCESTER. [a.D. 1279.

A great nuniher of Jews executed for clipping the Coin.

The kinf^ caused all the Jews, and some Christians, con-
victed of clipping, or making base coin, to be hung. Where-
fore two hundred and sixtj-seven Jews suffered the sen-
tence of death ; some were banished, others condemned to
perpetual imprisonment, and some remained in England. As.
for the money-changers, they were either admitted to main-
prise, or placed in safe custody in their own houses, and
havino* ransomed themselves were allowed their liberty. Ta
^make this inquest, the lords John of Chobham, and Waiter
de Heliun came to St. Edmund's with a commission from our
lord the king, and acting in an unprecedented manner against
the liberties of the abbey, without regard to any of its
charters, papal or royal, gave final judgment in the Guild-
hall on the goldsmiths of the town, and others who were
indicted or arrested on suspicion, and brought the fines wdiich
ensued from their proceedings into the royal exchequer : they
even compelled the sacristan to ransom himself for one hun-
dred marks.

The pope having quashed the election of Robert Burnel,
gave the archbishopric of Canterbury to friar John de Peckham,
of the order of Minors. The pope also gave the arch-
bishopric of Dublin to friar John de Darlington, of the order
of Preachers.

On the death of Symon, abbot of St. Edmund's, the king-
took possession of the portion of the convent as well as the
barony of the abbot, a proceeding before unheard of; nor
could the convent get their portion out of his hands either for
love or money, but all their possessions, both within the viil
of St. Edmund's and without, were placed under the manage-
ment of John de Berewich, the king's attorney, a sufficient
exhibition being provided for the monks, and the homages^ of
the conventual manors being taxed for the king's service.

The queen of Spain, lady of Ponthieu, mother of Eleanor^,
queen of England, ended her days ; in consequence of which,
about the beginning of Ma}^, the king of England crossed the
sea to do homage to the king of France for the county of
Ponthieu, which fell to him in right of his wdfe, as daughter
and heiress of the aforesaid queen, now deceased. Wherefore,

* Homagiis — the free tenants ; a term still used in manorial courts.

A.D. 1270.] EDWARD I. CEDES NORMAXDr. 3G1

in a parliament held at Amiens, at which the kings of Franco
and England, and many of the nobles of both kingdoms, met,
the king of England quitted claim for the duchy of Xormandy
to the king of France for ever ; reserving only a perpetual
yearly rent charge of three thousand livres of Paris, payable
from tlie treasury of Rouen. He also received for his quit-
claim Angoumois, the Limosin, Perigord, and Saintogne ;
and this beinc: settled returned to England.

John, archbishop of Canterbury, having summoned all the
bishops under his jurisdiction, held his synod at Reading on
the feast of St. James tlie apostle [2oth July]. Walter, arch-
bishop of York, died, and was succeeded by master William
de Wikewane, chancellor of that church.

At Northampton, a boy was crucified by the Jews on tho
day of the Adoration of the Holy Cross [14th September],
but was not quite killed ; notwithstanding, under this pre-
text, numbers of the Jews in London were torn to pieces by
horses and hung, immediately after Easter [2nd April].

An alteration was made in the English coinage, the tri-
angular farthing ^ being changed for a round one, but the old
current money was for a time allowed to remain in circulation
along with the new coins : the pennies, however, being, con-
trary to precedent, entirely disused, a great penny ^ was struck,
equal to four common ones.

^ Properly speaking, there were no such coins as " triangular far-
thini^s." The currency at that time, as well as during the Saxon period,
consisted of silver pennies, which sometimes, during their circulation,
were divided into two or four pieces, to make halfpence or farthings,
as occasion required, for small payments. The metal being thin, and
the coins havinj^ the impress, on one face, of a cross forming right
anr^les at the centre, they could bo cut neatly and exactly into these
halves and quarters, which were nearly triangular. Indeed, in some of
the silver pennies the cross is formed of double lines, apparently to
facilitate the operation, the cut being made between them. But this,
however convenient, beini^, in strictness, a clippini^ of the coin of the
realm, Edward I. prohibited it ; calling in the anj^ular segments, and
issuing a coinage of "round" silver farthings in their place. Speci-
mens of these, as well as of the halved and cpiartered pennies, are
preserved in the British Museum.

* In the same collection there may also bo seen some of these
" p^reat pennies," or silver i^roats, but they are somewhat rare. Tlu^
latter clause of this passage bein^;; rather obscure, the ori<;inal is sub-
joined, in order that those who are curious in such matters may form

362 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1279, 1280..

Jolin, archbisliop-olcct of Dublin, -was consecrated at Wal-
tliam on the sixth of the calends of September [27th August],
by John, archbishop of Canterbury, %vith the assistance of
Nicholas, bishop of Winchester, Robert, bishop of Bath and
Wells, and William, bishop of ]S'or\Yich. Cardinal Robert cle
Kilwardeby, formerly archbishop of Canterbury, died, as it is
re]:)orted, of poison.

Our lord the king enacted, provided, and ordained, that
men of religion should not get possession of other people's
lands or tenements.-^

John, the abbot-elect of St. Edmund's, having accomplished
liis business in the Roman court, and received his benediction
at the hand of our lord pope Nicholas, as well as being put in
possession of his barony by the king, with all that belonged
both to his own portion and that of the convent, was solemnly
inaugurated in his church on Holy Innocents' day [28th Oc-
tober], His expenses in the journey to Rome amounted to
eleven hundred and seventy-five marks, ten shillings, and nine
pence.

Richard, bishop of Lincoln, departed this life ; and was
succeeded by master Oliver de Sutton, dean of that church.
The king celebrated the feast of our Lord's Nativity at Win-
chester.

[a.D. 1280.] Nicholas, bishop of Winchester, died on the
sixth of the ides [the 8th] of February. On his death, Robert,
bishop of Bath and Wells, was the postulant^ for the succession
to the bishopric of Winchester, but his suit was quashed in
the court of Rome, and, contrary to expectation, the pope
granted to the chapter of Winchester free liberty of electing ;
their choice fell on master Richard de Mora, archdeacon of
that church.

their opinion of its drift : — " Ultra vero consuetum, oLoJis penitus sus-
pensis, /actus est unus denarius magnus, cequipollens iv denariis com-
munihus.'"

^ Non adquirant. This was the first statute of Mortmain.

^ A postulant was one who, having been duly elected to a bishopric,
sued for his confirmation to the superior ecclesiastical authority;
but in the stricter sense of the term, it was applied to a bishop-elect,
who had been chosen from a different diocese, in which case a dis-
pensation was required. This was not a matter of rij^ht, but depended
upon the pleasure of the pope, who often set aside the election, and
either referred it to the chapter to make a new choice, or made the
appointment himself.

A.D. 1280, 1281.] THE new coixage. 3C3

Jolm, bishop of London, died on tlie sixtli of tlie ides [tlie
8th] of February, and the lord Tulk Liu'el, archdeacon of
Colchester, was elected in his stead ; but as he immediately re-
signed, master liichard de Gravcsend, archdeacon of North-
am|)ton, was elected to succeed him.

There was a total eclipse of the moon on the night of the
feast of St. Edmund, king and martyr ; tlie moon being dyed
the colour of blood for the space of nearly two hours. Am-
l)assadors came to the king of England from the great kaliu
of the Tartars, on an amicable errand.

It was enacted that no persons should negotiate the old
money after Assumption day [15th August] : the newpennies
were made round,

Walter, bishop of Exeter, died ; and was succeeded b}' mas-
tor Peter of Exeter, a canon of that church. Ealph, abbot of
Croyland, departed this life.

Violent thunder and lightning were heard in many parts of
England on the eve of St. Martin [10th November], whieli
struck down houses and trees, and filled the beholders with
astonishment and alarm.

The clergy of England granted to the king the fifteenth of their
ecclesiastical property, according to the valuation of Walter,
bishop of Norwich, for three years. Magnus, king of Nor-
way, died. Pope Nicholas [lY.] yielded to fate at Castro
Sariano,^ on the eleventh of the calends of September [22nd
August], and the see remained void six months and fourteen
days. John, archbishop of Canterbury, held his visitation in
the diocese of Norwich ; that is to say, in Norfolk at the end
of the present year, and in Suifolk at the beginning of the
year following.

[a.d. 1281.] The king tarried in Norfolk until the feast
of the Purification [2nd February] was past. Tiiere was a
total eclipse of the moon on the nones [the 7th] of March.

Symon of Tours, cardinal-priest of St. Cecilia, was elected
pope by the name of Martin III. There was an eclipse of the
moon on the day before the calends of September [31st
August], the moon for a considerable time appearing of a
dusky hue.

Henry, bisliop of Lirgc in Germany, wlio was do])rivod of
his bishopric by the late council of Lyons for his incontinence
' III the diocese of Viterbo.

3G4 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1281.

(havincr, it is said, begotten no less than sixty-one sons and
daughters), Ivilled his successor John vv^ith his own hand, on the
eighth of the ides [the 6th] of September, coming upon him
unawares in the night. Master Hugh, of Evesham, was
created cardinal-priest by the title of St. Lawrence.

A^ new charter was obtained from the king, making a
division between the possessions of the abbot, and those of the
convent of St. Edmund's, so that thenceforth they should
under no circumstances be held in common ; for which a thou-
sand pounds Avere paid to my lord the king, besides the queen's
gold in respect to this payment, and other collateral ex-
penses, which amounted to an immense sum. The substance
of this charter is entered at the end of the chartulary of the
ninth year of this king's reign. The king celebrated the feast
of Christmas at Worcester.

On the feast of the Purification of St. Mary [2nd. Eebru-
ary], the bishop of Sidon performed mass at Jerusalem, where
for a long time past divine offices had been discontinued, on
account of the invasion of the Saracens.

Revolt of Llewellyn, Prince of Wales.

Llewellyn, prince of Wales, regardless of the treaty of peace
and alliance between himself and the king, which he had
already evaded, broke into open rebellion against the lord the
king, with his brother David. Wherefore, on the eve of
Palm-Sunday [21st March], laying in ruins some of the king's
castles in Wales and the Marches, and setting fire to others^
and threatening further enormities, he massacred great numbers
of the king's liegemen ; and having captured the lord Roger
de Ciiiford in his bed, before day-break, he carried him off
into lYales, vrhither he returned with a vast booty. Where-
upon, the king, having to send an army to Wales to avenge
the injuries he had sustained, levied a subsidy in the nature
of a loan, from all his own cities and boroughs, and also from
the cities and boroughs belonging to ecclesiastics, for carrying
on the war. The lord John de Kirkby, archdeacon of Coven-
try, was com^missioned by the king to conduct this affair, in
all parts of England, and he obtained at London a contribu-
tion of eight thousand marks in the manner just mentioned.
Having then first made his visitation in the boroughs and
burgesses of Yarmouth and Norwich, and received at Yar-

A.D. 1281.] A FORCED LOAN. 3G5

mouth a tlioiisand marks, and at Norwich five Inindred pounds,
ho came to St. Edmund's, Avherc, ha\'ing taxed the burg-esses
at five hundred marks, lie entrusted to the prior of the abbey
the assessment of those ^vllo did suit and service at the monks'
court, that tliey might not be taxed by the burgesses, Avhich
had never been done ; their assessment amounted to the sum
of twenty-six marks. Tlie gild of Dusze,' in the town of St.
Edmund's, was also taxed by the prior at twelve marks ; and
lie extorted from the abbot and convent of St. Edmund's one
hundred marks, under colour of a loan.

Meanwhile, Eleanor, th.o daughter of Symon de Montfort,
formerly carl of Leicester, wlio was married to Llewellyn,
prince of Wales, died in giving birth to a daughter, who sur-
vived her and was named Gwenllian, on the feast of SS.
Gorvasius and Protasius [19th June], and was buried at
Llandraais,^ in the house of the friars-minors. The king levied
for his expedition fifty marks for each knight's foe, but dealing
moderately with the abbot of St. Edmund's, he accepted three
hundred pounds for the service he owed.^ Of those who took
part in this expedition, three fell in West Wales, William, son
and heir of William de Valence, and several others with him';
and in North Wales, the lords Luke de Tany, Eoger de Clif-
ford the younger, William de Lindsoy, William de Audcley,
and many more with them ; some of them being stopped by
the rivers and drowned in crossing them in their flight, and

' Duodence. " This was the Gild of the Translation of St. Nicholas,
vuljrarly called the Glide de Dusze. A leaden bull in the possession
of the llev. H. Hasted, of Mary St. Edmund's, bears on the obverse a
mitred half-figure and the lei^end Sigillu.m GiLDii-: Sci. Niciiol,, and
on the reverse the letter T between S and N of a smaller size, with

the lof^end Congregacfo Duode It was otherwise called

Dusp^ilde, and was holdon in the colIe2:o at Bury. See Tymm's History
of^St. ]\Iary's Church, pp. G1—^l"—Thor],e.

- Probably Llanvais, near Beaumaris ; a house of Franciscans, or
friars-minors, founded by Llewellyn-ap-Jor\verth, prince of North
"Wales, before the year 1240. It was the burial-place of many barons
and kiiij^hts slain in the Welsh -wars.

^ 'j'he extent of the kin,f2;*s moderation in dealing with an ecclesiastic
of those days, or what a churchman, in strui^u^linj^ as well as he could
against tiiese exactions, would think af^ood bare^ain, cannot, of course,
be calculated ; but we mi^^ht conclude, from the data here <^ivcn, that
the abbot of St. Edmondsbury's knii^ht's fees were at least ten. How-
ever, in a subsequent passage of the Continuation they are stated at
only six.

3GG FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1281.

others falling by the sword, without the Welsh having suffered
any loss.

Death of Prince Llewellyn.

Affairs being in this state, Llewellyn, prince of Wales, was
intercepted by the king's troops in South Wales, and lost his
life and his head on Friday the fourth of the ides [the 10th]
of December ;' on the next day his head was brought to the
king in North Wales, and he forthwith sent it to his army sta-
tioned in Anglesey ; and after the people of Anglesey were
satiated with the spectacle, he ordered it to be immei'' '■-^_ -^ly
conveyed to London. On the morrow of St. Thomas the
apostle [22nd December], the Londoners went out to meet it
Avith trumpets and cornets, and conducted it through all the
streets of the city, with a marvellous clang.^ After this,
they stuck it up for the rest of the day in their pillory, and
towards evening it was carried to the Tower of London, and
fixed on a lofty pole. As for the body of the prince, his
mangled trunk, it was interred in the abbey of Cunheir,^ be-
longing to the monks of the Cistercian order.

The Coast infested hy Dutch Pirates.

Pirates from Zealand and Holland, making a piratical
descent in the neighbourhood of Yarmouth and Dunwich,
plundered all that fell in their way, butchered the people, and
carried off some ships with their cargoes. Florence, earl of
Holland, gained a glorious victory over the Flemings, with the
slaughter of fifteen thousand of their troops, in revenge for
the death of his father, William, whom they had recently slain
and buried in their country without honour ; some of them
also from fear of the count abandoned their country, and sub-
mitting to voluntary exile, transported themselves to other
lands. He, therefore, conveyed to his own country with
solemn pomp the body of his father, which had been ignomin-
iously buried among the Frisians with a small attendance,

^ He met his death in a copse-wood, on the banks of the Irvon, near
Builth, in Radnorshire.

^ Knighton relates that Llewellyn's head was carried through West
Chepe with a silver crown on it, in fulfilment of one of Merlin's pro-
phecies. Holinshed says that the crown was of ivy.

^ Cumheir — Cumhyre, Cwmhyr, a Cistercian abbey in Radnorshire^
founded in the year ] 143 by Cadwallon-ap-Madoc.

A.D. 1281-3.] EDWARD OBTAINS A SUBSIDY. 367

and there deposited it in a toinb witli great honour and cere-
mony.

Richard, archdeacon of Wincliester, -who was lately elected
Lishop of that see, resigned his appointment to the bishopric
into tlie pope's hands, who innnediately contorrod it on John
do Punteyse, archdeacon of Exeter. The king of the Tartars,
joining his forces to the Hospitallers, fought a battle with tho
sultan, in wliich engagement the Pagans were defeated, and
the sultan himself was taken prisoner and detained in close
custody at Babylon.

anor, queen of England, gave birtli to a daughter at
Hhuddlan, and named her Elizabeth. Isabel, countess of
Arundel, having ended her days, was buried at Marham.
Master Thomas de Canteloupe, bishop of Hereford, died at
the court of Rome, and master Richard de Swinefield, arch-
deacon of London, succeeded him by election.

Herman, tlio son of the king of Germany, Avho was to have
been married to the king of England's daughter, carelessly
walking on the ice while it thawed, the ice broke and he fell
in and was drowned. The eldest son of John de Hastings,
whom he called William, was born on St. Francis's day. The
lord Thomas Lenebaud, arclideacon of Suffolk, died at Horham,
on the eve of St. Lucia [12th December]. The king spent
the feast of Christmas at Rhuddlan, in Wales.

A Subsidy granted,

[a.d. 1283.] The commons of all England granted the king,
as a subsidy for his war, the thirtieth penny of all their mov-
ables, with the exception of horses, armour, ready money, and
the wardrobe ; in levying this subsidy, the king caused the
whole amount lie had received the preceding 3'^ear, in the
shape or under colour of a loan, to be allowed in the payment.
On the Sunday in Mid-Lent, which fell that year on the fifth
of the calends of April [28th March], the king seized all the
money arising from the tenths, which the pope had granted as a
subsidy for the Holy Land, and which was deposited in ditl'erent
places in England ; l)reaking the locks, and carrying it off and
disj)osing of it according to his own arbitrary will.

John, bishop of Rochester, died, and was succeeded by
master Thomas de Ingoldsthorpe, dean of St. Paul's, London,

368 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1283.

who was consecrated at Canterbury, on the feast of SS. Cosmo
and Damianus [27th September].

Subjugation of Wales, and Execution of Prince David.

After the death of Llewellyn, prince of Wales, and the
oscape by flight of his brother David, all the rest of the Welsh,
both the nobles and common people, having voluntarily sub-
mitted to the king's pleasure, he reduced under his dominion
the whole of Wales to the Irish sea. All the castles and for-
tresses were delivered up to him; he introduced the English
laws, and appointed justices and other officers to keep the
peace, and fixed the exchequer of Wales and the officers of
the treasury at Chester. Meanwhile, the before-mentioned
David, having lost his whole army, and wandering about with-
out a home, at last, as ill luck would have it, having sought
out some cottage for the purpose of concealing himself, was
.surrounded by some of the royal army ; and being made pri-
soner, v/ith one of his sons and ten others, was brought before
the king on the eve of St. Alban's [21st June], and by his
-command was committed to close custody in Chester castle.-
Then, at a general parliament, held at Shrewsbury in the
king's court, on the morrow of St. Leodegard [3rd October],
of which, by royal appointment, John de Wallibus was pre-
sident, David, the brother of Llewellyn, formerly prince of
"Wales, who had assumed the right of prince since his brother's
•death, was convicted of rebellion, high treason, and sacrilege,
.and condemned to be drawn, hung, and quartered. His head
was carried to London^ and his body, divided into quarters,
was sent to Winchester, Northampton, Chester, and York ;
his bowels were sentenced to be burnt, as a punishment for
ills guilt of sacrilege in frequently burning churches. Mabadin,
liis steward, a man even more barbarous in his deeds than in
his name, having been at the same time convicted of treason,
was drawn asunder by horses, and at length an end was put
to his sufferings by his being hanged.

Robert, bishop of Durham, died, and was succeeded by

the lord Anthony Bek, archdeacon of the same church.

i^sicholas, abbot of St. Augustine's at Canterbury, pretending

to go in pilgrimage to St. Nicholas at Bari,-^ betook himself

^ See the legend of the translation of the relics of St. Nicholas,
Kshop of Myra, to Bari, in Apulia. Orclericus Vitalis, b. vii., c. xii.
<(vol. ii., p. 384, Antiq. Lib.)

A.D. 1283.] PETER OF ARRAGOX. oG'J

to the court of the pope, and resigned the staff and ring, the
badges of liis dignity, into the pope's hands. Having done
this, he entered the order of the Carthusians, and the pope
conferred his abbey on one Thomas de Findon, a monk of
that monastery.

Peter y Iring of Arragon, gains possession of Sicily.

Peter, king of Arragon, chiiming for himself the inheri-
tance of the territories of Sicily, Calabria, and Apulia, in
right of his wife, as the daughter of Manfred, son of Frederic,
formerly emperor of the Romans, Avho died, as it is said,
seized of and invested with those territories; and having
gained the support of the nobles of those territories, by
promises and gifts, with their general consent and approbation
secured in one day, by artifice or stratagem, all the castles
and munitions of Charles, king of Sicily ; slew all lie found
in them, seized his treasure, and entirely destroyed his fleet,
after putting the crews to death. Having expelled king
Charles and taken possession of his dominions, he caused his
son to be crowned king of Sicily by the emperor of Con-
stantinople, by whose advice and aid he had accomplished all
this.

The clergy grant a subsidy.

The clergy of the province of Canterbury granted the
king, as a subsidy for his war, the twentieth part of all eccle-
siastical revenues for two years, according to the valuation
of AValter, formerly bishop of Norwich. Richard, abbot of
"Westminster, the king's treasurer, died on the first of the
month of December, and his interment took place at AVcst-
minstcr on the third day afterwards : he was succeeded by
Walter de Wenlock, a monk of the same house.

The king spent the feast of Christmas at Rhuddlan, in
Wales. The sultan of Babylon died. At London, and in
divers parts of England, such wonderful flashes of light and
awful thunder were seen and heard- on St. Stephen's day
[-?(kh December], that those who beheld and heard it were
struck with exceeding terror and alarm. During the whole
sunnner, and the greater ])art of the ensuing autunni, there
were such violent rains, that nearly all the hopes of the sowers
in the spring proved illusory at the season of harvest.

370 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [A.D. 1284.

[a.d. 1284.] Friar John of Darlington, of the order of
friars- preachers, archbishop of Dublin, died in the neigh-
bourliood of tlie city of London, on the fifth of the calends
of April [28th March], and was buried in the New Church
belono-ing to the friars-preachers in Earnard-castle at London.

On Easter day, which fell on the fifth of the ides [the 9tli]
of April, about the first hour of the day, there were at St.
Edmund's such a sudden and unexpected flash of lightning,
and such loud and continued claps of thunder, that those
who hoard them could scarcely hold their footing. And,
although the storm was so violent in that place, it did no
harm in the country, or but very little. We have heard that
the same storm occurred in parts beyond the seas, the same
day and hour.

Prince Edward horn at Carnarvon,

On the feast of St. Mark the evangelist [25th April], a
son was born to the king of England, at Carnarvon in Wales,
who was named Edv/ard. Robert, bishop of Salisbury, slept
in the Lord ; and was succeeded by master Richard Seamel,
dean of the same church.

In Germany, a certain low fellow suddenly appearing in
public, and pretending that he was Frederic, the late emperor
of the Romans, who died long before in the year of our
Lord, 1250, collected a numerous household, v/ith the good-
will of nearly all that country, and a powerful army. King
Rodolph was so far from opposing him, that he rather aided
the deception, so that he caused himself to be treated with
reverence by all as their king and emperor.

The lord Alphonso, son of the Iving of England, died at
Windsor, on the feast of St. Magnus, the martyr [19th
August], and was carried to Westminster and buried with
great pomp on the eve of the Decollation of St. John the
Baptist [28th August].

A storm of thunder and lightning occurred at St. Edmund's,
on the morrow of St. Faith [7th Oct.], before the first
hour, with such sudden flashes and loud claps, that all who
saw or heard it, were struck with the greatest terror. At
Dunwich, on the fifth of the calends of December [27th
November], from the third to the sixth hour of this day, the
sea appeared to be on fire, with not a very bright but rather

A.D. 1284, 1285.] PETER OF ARR.VGOX DEPOSED. 371

a yellow flame. Our lord the pope, in consequence of the
rebellion, contumacy, and disobedience of Peter, some time
kini^ of Arragon, gave his kingdom to Philip, son and heir of
the king of France, reserving to the apostolic see, for the
said kingdom, a hundred pounds annually. This Philip
married the heiress of the kingdom of Navarre. John, arch-
bishop of Canterbury, held his visitation of the diocese of
Lincoln, and continued it to Easter [7th April], in the year
following.

That part of the church of St. Peter at Rome, in which
the altar of the apostles stood with their principal images,
suddenly and unaccountably fell in ruins. Hugh de Lusignan,
king of Cyprus, with his son and some others of his family,
were poisoned to death by the knights' Brothers of the Temple.
In the church of St. Mary-at-Bow, in London, one of the
Londoners named Lawrence, was wounded by some evil-
minded men of that city, and at last hung from one of the
beams of the church. The king of England, being greatly dis-
turbed at this outrage, ordered some of the oftenders, the least
guilty indeed but the most wealthy, to be drawn asunder by
horses, and then hung ; but the real culprits, who were rich,
he sentenced to pay a fine in money. The king spent the
feast of Christmas at Bristol.

[a.d. 1285. J Charles, king of Sicily, died at Barletta in
Apulia,^ on the eve of the Epiphany [5th August]. After
his decease, the Sicilians espousing the cause of Peter of
Arragon — who had, even during Charles's life, usurped the
government of Sicily in opposition to the Boman church —
and keeping in custody Charles, prince of the Morea, that
king's son, their captive in war, returned home in triumph.

John, archbishop of Canterbury, during his visitation of
the diocese of Ely, dismissed all the obedientiai'ies/ the prior
only excepted.

The Jung and queen go to Bury,

Our lord the king of England, with the queen and three
of his daughters, arrived at St. Edmund's on the tenth of
the calends of March [20tli February], and paid, with great

' Barletta, near Bari, at the mouth of the Aufidus.
^ The c)bodioiitiario.s wei'o various oiricers oi" the abbey, who had
the suporintcndenco of its concerns.

z 2

372 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [A.D. 1285.

devotion and reverence, the vows which he had made to God
and St. Edmund during his war in Wales ; proceeding on
the morrow in his journey to Norwich, where he spent the
wdiole of the following Lent. The king, treating as null
his own charters, and those of several of his progenitors,
caused the weights, measures, and ells of the town of St.
Edmund's to be inspected by the marshal of his measures,
alleging that this was once done in his father's time. But
the profits accruing from that inspection, and from all other
inspections during his visits and those of his heirs, he granted
for the repair and ornament of the shrine of St. Edmund's, and
confirmed this by a charter. And whereas it was alleged by
the burgesses of the place, that this inspection ought only to
be made on h royal visit, so that the sacristan and his bailiffs
had hitherto been prevented from making the inspection of
measures, it was ordained, after consultation between our
lord the king and the sacristan, on peril of the liberties of
the town being forfeited to the king, that the sacristan should
make this inspection twice in every year, and enforce it on the
corporal oath of the burgesses and other inhabitants of the
town ; and that those who refused to submit should, for the
first offence, be punished by fine ; and for the second, if their
contumacy was excessive, by imprisonment, until the king
should take order touching their offence.

The townsmen of Ipswich imprisoned and fined.

While the king was staying, as it has been observed, in
the parts of Norfolk, the whole commonalty of the town of
Ipswich having been accused to him of divers misdemeanours,
of which they were partly convicted, were sentenced to pay
a heavy fine ; and besides, thirteen of the townsmen of the
better sort were sent to prison in different parts of England
for half a year.

About the middle of Lent [4th May], Philip [III], king of
France, marched an army against the Idng of Arragon, who
having lost a great number of his troops in battle, both by sea
andland, as well as by want, at last, being seized with dysenter}',
went the way of all flesh, at Pampeluna.-^ The king's body was

^ An error for Perpignan, where Philip the Hardy breathed his last.

A.D. 128a.J RELICS OF ST. DAVID. 373

entombed with f^reat solemnity, among his ancestors at St.
Denis, on St. Martin's day [11th November].

Thomas, prior of Christ's Church in Canterbury, became
a Cistercian monk, at King's-Beaulieu, on the eve of Pahn
Sunday [17th JSIarch] ; and was succeeded by Henry, the
treasurer of the church of Canterbury. The pope died at
Perugio, on the fourth of tlie calends of April [29th March],
and Avas buried there on tlie first day of the same month ;
and the see "was void [four] days. He was succeeded
by the lord James de Sabella, cardinal-deacon of St. Mary
in Cosmedin, who took the name of Honorius IV.

A scutate granted.

Our lord the kinj? levied a scutage of fortv shillings each
for the army in Wales, the former one being spent. The king
made a solemn procession from the Tower of London to West-
minster, with the head of St. David, called also Dewy, and
other relics which ho had brought with him out of Wales.

There was an appearance of two moons on the eighth of
the ides [the 8th] of May ; and in Suffolk armies appeared
lighting in the air.

l\\ a parliament hold at Westminster on the feast of St.
John [2i:th June], the Idng made and published many
statutes, some of wdiich, as many think, are intended, in
great measure, to do away with the ecclesiastical juris-
dictions.

The pretender, who assumed the name of Frederic, having
been convicted of heresy and other crimes, was condemned to
the flames, and burnt to death in the presence of some of tlie
archbishops and bishops of Germany, on the second of the
ides of July [l-lth July]. William, archbishop of York,
died ac Ponthieu, in parts beyond the seas, and was succeeded
by master John, surnamed Ilomanus, precentor of the church
of Lincoln.

Maiy, daughter of the king of England, took the veil as a
nun, at Amesbury, on the feast of the Nativity of St. ]\rary
£8th September]. Alexander, king of the Scots, married the
daugliter of the count de Dreux, a cousin of the king of
France.

There was a circuit of the justiciaries in the county of

374 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1285, 1286.

^STorthampton, by the lords justiciaries John de Wallibus,
William de Saham, John de Metingham, Roger Loveday, and
others ; and in Essex by the lords justiciaries Solomon de
Eochcster, Robert de Reading, Richard de Royland, Walter
de Sarchele, and others. The king kept the feast of Christmas
at Exeter, in Devonshire.

[a.D. 1286.] Philip [lY.], king of France, son of Philip
III., was crowned at Rheims, as king of France, on the feast
of the Epiphany [6th January]. Our lord the king held a
great parliament at Westminster, after the Purification [2nd
February], in which parliament w^ere present the envoys of
the king of France, namely, Maurice de Croim, count of
Burgundy, and the lord John D'Acre, two of the French king's
nobles.

Alexander [III.,] king of Scotland, went the way of all
flesh on the fourteenth of the calends of April [19th March].
Our lord the king crossed the sea after Easter, in the month
of May, to confer with the Idng of France ; and, appearing in
person at the parliament held at Paris, about the Rogation
days [19th May], did homage to the king of France for the
territories which he claimed to hold under him.

On the fifth of the ides [the 9th] of June, Hugh, bishop of
Ely, ended his days at his manor of Dunharn, in the isle of
Ely ; he was succeeded by master John de Kirkeby, treasurer
of our lord the king of England, who was solemnly enthroned
on Christmas eve. William, abbot of Ramsey, being affected
with palsy, resigned his dignity, in which he was succeeded by
John de Sauter, a monk of the same house. The priory of
canons, at Westacre, with the church and all the offices, was
consumed by fire, about the Nativity of St. Mary [8th
September].

Eleanor, mother of the king of England, took the nun's veil
at Amesbury, in the month of July. Walter, bishop of Salis-
bury, departed this life, and was succeeded by master Henry
de Branteston, dean of that church. The lord William de
Warrenne, son and heir of John de Warrenne, earl of Surrey,
v/as encountered and cruelly slain, as it is said, by his enemies,
in a tournament held at Croydon, in the month of December.
The king spent the feast of Christmas at the isle of Oleron,
in Gascony.

[a.D. 1287.] On the night of the Circumcision the wind

A.D. 1287.] A SEA-FIGHT. G75

■was so violent, and the sea stormy, at Yarmouth, Dimwieh,
Ipsv.-ich, antl otlicr places in England, as well as on the coasts
of other countries bordering on the sea, that many buildings
were thrown down, especially in that part of England called
the Fens ; nearly the whole district was converted into a lake,
and, unhappily, great numbers of men were overtaken by tho
floods and drowned. On the morrow of tho octave of the
Epiphany [1-Ath January], sudden flashes of light were seen,
which much terrified the beholders.

The poj)e^ died at St. Peter's, at Rome, on Wednesday, in
Palm week, being the morrow of the Annunciation, and was
buried there on Friday in Easter week following. The see
was void eleven months and thirty-four days.^

The Jews imprisoned.

The Jev/s in all parts of England, of every ago and sex,
were committed to safe custody on Friday, the morrow of the
apostles 8S. Philip and Jacob [2nd May] ; but after a time
they were permitted to return to their homes on giving the
king security for the payment of twelve thousand pounds.

Sea-fight hetiveen the Roman, French, and Greek fleets.

On the third of the calends of August [30th July] there
was a gallant sea-fight between the fleets of the Roman
churcli and the king of France, on one side, and of the em-
peror of Constantinople, who espoused the cause of the king
of Arragon ; in which, after the Greeks had obtained some
})artial success, and several of the nobles in both armaments
were taken prisoners and the rest cruelly slain, the victory
rested on the enemy's side.

Rebellion of Rhys^ap-Meredyth,

Great part of South Wales, under their chief, Rhys-ap-
Mcredyth, broke into rebellion against the king of England.
But in the end, after great slaughter of the English, of all
ranks, and other useless expenses, severe losses, and no small

' Pope Honorius IV.

- This reckoninf^ is manifestly erroneous. According to Matt.
VVestin. Honorius IV. died April 4th, and his successor was elected
February 16th following.

376 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1287, 1288.

perils, he slunk away, and for some time no one knew where
lie was concealed ; and thus Rhys himself having, as it were,,
disappeared, the land had rest and was quiet.

There was a total eclipse of the moon on the night of the
feast of SS. Eomanus and Severinus [22nd October].
Stephen, bishop of Chichester, ended his days, and was suc-
ceeded by master Gr. de St. Leobhard. In the month of
December, the sea overflowed its banks in the parts of Norfolk
and Suffolk, particularly at Yarmouth, and caused much
damage.

The king of England received a solemn embassy from the
khan of the Tartars while he was in Gascony, intended
to renew the former alliance with himself and the kings,
his predecessors. Also, the king celebrated the feast of our
Lord's Nativity at Bourdeaux, in Gascony.

[a.D, 1288.] On the third of the nones [the 3rd] of
Pebruary, about nightfall, flashes of light were suddenly and
unexpectedly seen at St. Edmund's, there having been no
signs prognosticating it ; and, at the same instant, there was
a tremendous crash, I will not say of thunder, followed by an
insufferable stench. The storm was accompanied by visible
sparks of fire, which fearfully dazzled the eyes of the be-
holders. The tower of the church of Barnwell was set on
Are by the violence of tlie thunder-storm, and further damage
done to the convent there, and one third part of the town
was a prey to the flames. At last the lightning also struck
the refectory at St. Edmund's, but the fire was quickly ex-
tinguished by the monks.

The lord Jerora, cardinal-bishop of Prasneste, of the order
of friars-minors, was elected pope on the feast of St. Peter-in-
Cathedra [22nd Pebruary] and took the name of Nicholas
TV. Henry, bishop of Salisbury, departed this life, and on
his decease there was a double election of master William de
la Corne and master Lawrence de Hakebrun, a canon of the
same church ; but as Lawrence died immediately afterwards,
the before-mentioned master William was re-elected.

On the day before the nones [the 4th] of June, a battle
was fought between the duke of Brabant on one side, and the
archbishop of Cologne and the count of Gueldres on the
other, in which a great number of the nobility fell on both
sides, and the archbishop of Cologne and the count of

A.D. 12S8, 12S9.] EDWARD RI:TURNS from FRANCE. 377

Gueldros wcro taken prisoners and confined under the custody
of the duke of Brabant ; and thus the Brabanters secured tlio
victory. Great part of the market at St. Botolph's, with the
house of tlie friars-preachers, was burnt to the ground on th.o
morrow of St. James [2Gtli July].

On the fiftli of the ides [the 11th] of October, tlie moon
■was ahnost totally eclipsed, which lasted from nearly midnight
until the dawn of day. The king s])ent Christmas at
Bellegarde, in the territory of Bearne.

[a.d. 1280.] Reginald, abbot of Waltham, ended his days
about the feast of St. Peter-in-Cathedru [22nd February],^
and was buried at Waltham on the morrow of St. Matthew
the a])ostle [22nd September]. He was succeeded by Robert
do Elington, a canon of the same cluirch.

The king and queen, after being four years abroad, came
over to England, and Landed at Dover on the day before the
ides [the 12th] of August; and after a short stay, first in
Kent and then in Essex, arrived at St. Edmund's on St.
Lambert's day [17th September], proceeding on the morrow
into the pnrts of Norfolk. Going thence by sea to the isle of
Ely, on their way to London, the king celebrated the feast of
the Translation of St. Edward [13th October], with great
solemnity at Westminster.

Thomas Wetland, chief justice of the King's Bench.

The lord Thomas Weyland, the king's chief justice of the
lower bench, having been indicted and convicted on trial for
harbouring some of his people who had lately committed a
murder, and fearing to throw himself upon the king's mercy,
took sanctuary in the house of the friars-minors, then living
at St. Edmund's. Having been closely guarded there by the
country for several days, by the king's order, he assumed
their habit, when it was least expected. The king being
informed of this, sent a knight belonging to his guard with
instructions to employ the whole power of the country to

' This i.s the roading of tho text in all the editions, but it ajipears to
be erroneous, and that instead of St. Peter-in-Catliedra, it should bo
St. l^■ter-ad-^'i^(■ula, which feast occurs in tlie Iloinan calendar on tho
2nd of .Auj^ust. Even then, the time which elapsed between the abbot's
death and interment was very long. St. Peter's day is on 24th June.

378 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.B. 1289, 1290.

keep him there witli greater security. At length, this Thomas,
after being blockaded two months, during which nearly all the
friars dispersed tliemselves in various places, throwing off the
religious and re-assuming the secular habit, came out of sanc-
tuary, and, being brought before the king, was committed to
safe custody in the Tower of London.

The pope raised to the throne Charles, prince of the Morea,
the son of Charles, late king of Sicily, and solemnly crowned
him on Whitsunday [29th May].

The city of Tripoli was taken by the Saracens, and laid in
ruins, with the towns and villages, and the whole neighbouring
country, with great slaughter of the Christians. The king
solemnly celebrated the feast of Our Lord's Nativity at West-
minster.

A parliament — Proceedings against delinquent judges.

[a.d. 1290.] In a parliament held at W^estminster, which
sat from the Circumcision of Our Lord [1st January] until
the feast of St. Valentine [14th February], divers sentences
were pronounced by the king and his council in the cases of
several of the judges, whose misdemeanours were there inquired
into, according to their respective merits. Among these, lord
Thomas Weyland was condemned to perpetual banishment,
with the forfeiture of all his property, movable and immov-
able. Many also of the justices, both of the bench and who
had been in eyre, were committed to safe custody in the
Tower. Among these the chief were the lords John de Love-
tot, William de Brunton, Roger de Leicester, and Robert de
Littlebury; these were of the bench. Of the justices in eyre
were the lords Solomon of Rochester, Richard of Boyland,
Thomas de Sudendon, Walter de Hopet, and Robert de
Preston. But the first of these were released at the close of
this parliament, after paying large fines for their ransom ; the
last remained in the Tower, the king going into another
quarter ; but, in the end, they obtained their discharge, on the
same terms as the others, with the king's connivance, or
rather by his order.

John, bishop of Ely, the king's treasurer, died at Ely on
the morrow of the Annunciation of St. Mary [26th March],
and, being honourably interred on Holy Thursday following,
he was succeeded b}^ master William de Luda, archdeacon of

A.D. 1290.] A SEA-FIGHT AND A BATTLE. 379

Diirliam, clean of St. Martin's-the-Grcat at London, and
keej^er of tlie king's wardrobe, who was elected on the fourth
of the ides [the 4th] of May.

Tlie earl of Gloucester marries the princess Joan of Acre.

Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester, married at West-
minster, on the last day of the month of April, the lady Joan,
surnamed of Acre, from her having been born there, the
daughter of the king of England.

A great sea fight.

On the same day there was a desperate naval engagement
in the sea of Marmora, near St. Matthew's, between the fleets
of Bayonne, the Cinque Ports, and the Genoese on one side,
and of the Flemings on the other, in whicli fire and water, as
well as arms, were used as instruments of destruction ; and
after many of the ships were sunk, and the rest had consulted
their safety by flight, the victory remained with the adverse
party.

Removal of the hody of Henry III.

Our lord the king caused the body of the king his father,
which was interred at Westminster, to be suddenly and unex-
pectedly removed on the night of the feast of the Ascension
[lOtli May], and deposited in a more elevated situation, near
the tomb of St. Edward.

A bloody battle between the Danes and Norwegians.

A most savage and bloody battle was fought between the
kings of Norway and Denmark, at Skonor in Denmark, in
which twenty-five thousand of the Norwegians fell, without
much loss on the part of the Danes.

Ptoger Bigod, earl of Norfolk and marshal of England,
brought over as his wife AUce, the daughter of John d'Aveynes,
count of Agenois.

John, the son and heir of John, duke of Brabant, solemnly
espoused Margaret, daughter of the king of England, at
Westminster, on the sixth of the ides [the 10th] of July,
in the presence of his father and a great assemblage of
nobles.

380 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1290.

The crop of fruit entirely failed through all parts of
England, both in the gardens and hedges, except apples and
acorns.

AVilHam, the bishop-elect of Ely, having been ordained
priest on the first of October, in the parish church of St. Mary
at Ely, was consecrated by the lord John, archbishop of
Canterbury, with extraordinary pomp, bishop of Ely.

A si/nod at Ely ; grant of a tenth and fifteenth.

On the morrow of this solemnity, the archbishop held liis
synod at Ely, with his suffragans and others of the clergy
there assembled. In this synod the clergy granted to the
king the tenth of all their spiritual possessions for one year ;
but so that the tenth should not be collected before the feast
of St. Michael in the year next to come. The king also
obtained from the commons of England the fifteenth of all
their temporal property ; and he condemned all the Jews, of
both sexes and every age, living in all parts of England, to
perpetual banishment, without hope of returning,

Roger, abbot of St. Alban's, departed this life about the
feast of All Saints, on the morrow of All Souls [3rd Novem-
ber], and was succeeded by John de Berkhampstead, a monk of
the same abbey. Robert, abbot of Reading, resigned his
dignity, and was succeeded by William de Sutton, chamberlain
of the same house.

Death of Margaret, maid of Norway, heiress of Scotland.

Margaret, daughter of Eric, king of NorAvay, and of Mar-
garet, daughter of Alexander, king of Scotland, who lately
died, without leaving any heir of his body, and of his queen
Margaret, the daughter of Henry, king of England, and sister
of king Edward, his son, — to whom, as nearest of blood, the
hereditary right of the kingdom. of Scotland belonged, and
who, also, was on the point of being married to Edward, the
•son of king Edward before mentioned, a dispensation having
been procured from the court of Rome, — died in the Orkney
isles.

Death of queen Eleanor.

Eleanor, queen of England, the king's consort, ended her
days at Herdeby, in the county of Lincoln, on the fourth of

A. D. 1290, 1291.] QUEEN ELEANOR BURIED. 381

tlio calends of December [2(Stli November], and was buried at
AW'stminster with extrortliiiary state and magnitieence, on the
sixteenth of the calends of January [17th December]. After
■which the king set out for Ayisrigge,^ a hermitage of the earl
of Cornwall, to celebrate our Lord's Xativity there.

[a.d. 1291.] On the fifteenth of the calends of ^March
[loth February], there was an eclipse of the moon. On the
sixth of the ides [the 8th] of February, at London, about the
first hour, on a sudden, and when it was least expected, the
Lord thundered from heaven with a loud and sharp report,
filling the hearts of all who heard it with awful terror.

Peace between the Pope and Sicily, Arragon and France.

A peace and alliance was made and ratified between the
Roman church and Charles, king of Sicily, on the one part,
and Peter, king of Arragon, on the other : also, between the
king of France on the one part, and the king of Spain on the
other (after great losses, bloodshed, and calamities), principally
through the mediation of the king of England, who sent
solemn embassies into foreign parts to negotiate and settle
the peace. But it was soon afterwards weakened and
nullified, when, on the death of Peter, king of Arragon, his
brother James took possession, by force, of the kingdom of
Sicily. Ambassadors came from the great and mighty khan
of the Tartars, both to the ])ope and the kings of France and
England, for the renewal and ratification of peace, as well as
touching his acceptance of the Christian faith, and the grant
of succour to the Holy Land.

Joan, countess of Gloucester, the daughter of the king of
England, gave birth at Winchcombe to her eldest son, who
was named Gilbert. The lord Thomas, bishop of Pochester,
slept in the Lord at Pochester, in a good old age, on St.
Pancras day [12th May] : he was succeeded by Thomas, prior
of tl:ut church. Eleanor, mother of the king of England,
ending her days at Amesbury, on the morrow of St. John
[2-3tli June], was interred witli great solemnity on the third
day after the Nativity of St. Mary [8th September] with a

' Asliri(l;ije, in Buckinj^hamshire, where a colleo^P of Bon-hortiTTics
was louiulc'd by Ednuind, tlio son of Richard, carl of Cornwall, in 1283.
It al'terwcu-ds bt'came tlie magnificent scat of the 13ridgc\\ ater family.

382 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1291.

great attendance of the most powerful nobles both of France
and England.

Edward I. asserts his claim to the suzerainty of Scotland.

On the death of Alexander [III.], king of Scotland, lately-
deceased/ and the death and total failure both of his issue
and kindred by blood, some persons began to claim a right
of inheritance to the kingdom of Scotland. Considering
which, the king of England alleged that the supremacy of the
crown vras vested in him. To make this more clear he went
to Norham, in the marches of Scotland, and assembled there
the men of religion from some of the English churches with
their chronicles, which having been carefully inspected,
examined, and considered by his whole council, it appeared
plain to all and each, that the supreme right to the kingdom
of Scotland was vested in and belonged to him ; all which
having been recounted before the great men of Scotland, as
well bishops as earls, and some others, and having been
deliberately weighed, the Scots having nothing to allege on
their part, acknowledged him as their suzerain lord. They
also committed to his custody the castles of Scotland, both on
this side the sea and beyond sea, together with the seal of
Scotland, and swore fealty to him, and made it sure by their
letters patent, and declared that those who claimed a right to
the kingdom of Scotland ought to abide the judgment of the
court of the king of England.

In this state of affairs, the lord John de Baliol, and the lord
Robert de Bruce, with others hereafter named, presented
themselves to claim their right. At length they agreed to
this, that they would submit to the arbitration of forty
liegemen of each of the two kingdoms, forty on one side and
forty on the other, with twenty on the king's part ; and that
the arguments and rights of all having been produced before
them, they should promulgate and publish their award on the
morrow of St. Peter-ad- Vincula [2nd August]. This being
settled, the king of England appointed the bishop of Caithness
chancellor of Scotland, and joined with him one of his own
clerks, Walter de Agmondesham, chancellor of England, com-

1 Alexander III. died 19th March, 1286. His queen, Margaret,
daughter of Henry, died before him, in the year 1275. See before,
pp. 354, and 374,

A.D. 1291.] SCOTTISH AFFAIRS. 383

manding all things to be done with their concurrence and
assent. He also distributed the castles among his adherents,
as to him seemed fit. He likewise appointed keepers of the
peace and order, and otlier ofhcers of the royal administration,
both on the mainland and in the islands.

Therefore, on the morrow of St. Peter already named, it
was determined, with common consent, by the nobles of both
countries at Berwick, and by those who claimed a right to the
kingdom of Scotland, that the pleas of all should be con-
sidered null and void, except those of the lords John de
Baliol, Robert de Bruce, and John do Hastings, and the
others hereafter mentioned. A day was assigned to the
parties at Berwick for arguing their rights on the morrow of
the Holy Trinity next coming [18th June] by our lord the
king and his liegemen, who should meet him there. After
this, Florence, earl of Holland, Robert Bruce, earl of
Anandale, John de Baliol, lord of Galway, John de Hastings,
lord of Abergavenny, John Gumming, lord of Badenoch,
Patrick de Dunbar, earl of March, John de Yesci, on behalf
of his father, Richard de Soules, and William de Ross, in
whom, or some of whom, the right to the crown of Scotland
was considered to be vested, returned to their homes to de-
liberate touching the allegation and assertion of their right
or rights, against the day before appointed for them.

Wherefore, our lord the king, taking into consideration and
fully weighing, that by the tenor of the chronicles of divers
religious men, his right to the kingdom of Scotland was de-
clared to be far from trifling; and desirous of leaving a
record of this fact and of his own ])roceedings to bo handed
down to future generations, he wrote to the greater monas-
teries of England in the following form : —

" Edward, hy the grace of God, king of England, lord of
Ireland, and duke of Aquitaine, to his beloved in Christ, the
abbot and convent of St. Peter at Bury, greeting.

" Wk send you appended to these presents, under the seal
of our exchequer, a transcript of certain letters which are en-
rolled in our treasury, of which the following is the tenor : —

" ' To those who shall see or hear these presents : Florence carl

384 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1291.

of Holland y Robert Bruce, earl of Anandale [Johnde Baliol^
lord of Galway,'] John de Hastings, lord of Ahergavenmj, John
Cuniming, tord of Badenoch, Patrick de Dunbar, earl of
March, John de Vesci, on behalf of his father, Richard de
Soules, and William de Rous, greeting in God.

1,? a i "Whereas we pretend to have right to the kingdom of Scot-
land, and this right to exhibit, challenge, and aver before him
who has the most power, jurisdiction, and reason to try our
right ; and the noble prince, Sir Edward, by the grace of
God, king of England, has informed us on good and sufficient
grounds, that to him belongs and is due the suzerainty of the
said kingdom of Scotland, and the cognisance of hearings
trying, and determining our right : we, of our own free
choice, without any manner of force or duress, will and
grant to receive right before him as the sovereign lord of
the land. And we will and promise that we will hold and
keep his act firm and stable, and that he among us shall have
possession of the kingdom to whom right shall belong before
him. In testimony of which we have set our seals to this in-
strument. Done at Xorham, the Tuesday next after the
Ascension, in the year of grace one thousand two hundred
and ninety-one.*

" ' To all those luho shall see or hear these presents : Florence,
earl of Holland, Hobert de Bruce, lord of Anandale, John de
Baliol, lord of Galivay, John de Hastings, lord of Abergavenny,
John Comyn, lord of Badenoeh, Patrich de Dunbar, earl of
March, John de Vesey, for his father, Nicholas de Soules, and
William de Rous, health in God.

" ' Whereas, we have consented and granted, of our own free
will and common assent, without any duress, to the noble
prince. Sir Edward, by the grace of God, king of England,
that he, as suzerain lord of the territory of Scotland, shall
hear, try, and determine our challenges and demands, which
we intend to exhibit and allesre for our rio-ht to the kingdom

O O O

of Scotland, and justice have before him, as suzerain lord of
the land, promising that we will hold his act firm and stable,

^ Baliol's name is omitted, evidently through inadvertence. It ap-
pears in other copies, both French and Latin. The transcript in this
Continuation of Florence is ffiven in the old French.

A-D. 1291.] BCOTTISII AFFAIRS. 385

and that ho shall possess the kingdom to whom right shall
give it before him.

*' ' But eonsidering that the aforesaid king of England cannot
make and accomplisli this cognisance-without judgment, and
judgment ought not to be without execution, and execution
cannot be done without possession and seisin of the same
territories, and of the castles : we therefore will and grant that
lie, as sovereign lord, in order to perform the things before men-
tioned, have the seisin of all the land and castles of Scotland,
until right be done and perfected as we demand, in such
manner that before he has the before mentioned seisin, he give
good and sufficient surety, on demand, to the protectors and
commons of the kingdom of Scotland, for the restoration of
the same kingdom and castles, and all royalties, dignities,
lordships, franchises, customs, rights, laws, usages, and pos-
sessions, with all manner of appurtenances, in the same state as
they were when the seisin was to him given and granted, to
such one of us to whom the right shall belong by judgment of
the court, saving to the king of England the homage of him
who shall be king ; the restoration to be made within three
months after the right shall be tried and afHrmed.

^' 'And that the revenue of the said territories received in the
mean time shall be safely deposited, and well kept, in the hands
of the chamberlain of Scotland that now is, and of one to be
assigned to act with him by the king of England, and under
their seals ; saving reasonable maintenance for the lands and
castles, and the ministers of the realm. In testimony of what
is before declared, we have set our seals to this writing. Done
at Norham, on Tuesday after the Ascension, in the year of
grace one thousand two hundred and ninety-one.'

"Wherefore wc command you that you record these mat-
ters in your chronicles for a perpetual testimony thereof.
Witness, Master W. de Marche, our treasurer, at Westminster,
on the ninth day of July, in the nineteenth year of our reign.
Ijv writ of nrivv seal."

Description of Nortlmmhria.

Hyring was the first king who reigned after the Britons in

Nortliuiiibria. Northumljria extends from the great river

Humbcr (so called from Humber, king of the lluns, who

was invited there) as far as the Frisian — which is now called

A A

386 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER. [a.D. 1291.

•

the Scottish — Sea, because it divides the English and Scotch.
It was called in old times the Frisian Sea, because the Frisons
and the Danes were wont very frequently to bring their ships
to land there, and then, being joined by the Scots and Picts,
ravage Northumbria. This country was afterwards much
divided on various occasions and from various calamities ; but
in the course of a short time it was severed into two provinces,
namely, Deira and Bernicia. Deira extends from the afore-
said river Humber to the Tyne, and was ruled by St. Oswine,
king and martyr, whose body now rests at Tynemouth. St.
Oswald, king and martyr, reigned in Bernicia, that is, from
the Tyne as far as the Scottish Sea. By the name of North-
umbria was, therefore, sometimes understood the country be-
tween the Humber and the Tees ; at other times it extended
to the Tyne, at others to the Tweed ; but at present includes
only the district between the Tyne and the Tweed. This
may suffice respecting its territory.

Genealogy of the Icings of Bernicia.

Hyring, then, who has been already mentioned, begat king
"Wodna ; Wodna begat king Withgils ; Withgils begat king
Horsa ; Horsa begat king Uppa ; Uppa begat king Eppa ;
Eppa begat king Ermering ; Ermering begat king Ida ; all
of whom reigned in the territory of the Northumbrians on
the north side of the river Humber, on the Norwegian sea.
None of these kings, from Hyring to king Ida, appear in any
of the historians, either from omission or ignorance, and the
records of them were either burnt in the country or carried
away from it.^

However, king Ida begat king Ethelred ; Ethelred begat
king Ethelfert ; Ethelfert begat king Oswy ; Oswy begat king
Egfert ; Egfert begat king ^Ifrid ; ^Ifrid begat king ^lla ;
jEUa begat a daughter named Ethelreda. The earls who
afterwards had the government of Northumbria Avere all
sprung from king iEUa. Ethelreda bore earl Eadulf ; earl
Eadulf begat earl Oswulf; earl Oswulf begat earl Waltheof ;
earl Waltheof begat earl Wihtred ; earl Wihtred begat earl
Aldred ; earl Aldred begat a daughter named Elfleda ; the
valiant duke Siward married her, and had with her the king-
dom of Northumbria. She bore him a son named Waltheof,

* "A \ery remarkable passage." — Thorpe.

A.D. 1291.] EARLS OF XORTIIUMHKIA. 387

who was afterwards earl. Eut as at the time of duke Siward's
death his son Wahheof was still very young, his earldom was
given by St. Edward, the king, to Tosti, the son of earl
Godwin.

In the twenty-fourtli year of king Edward, the North-
umbrians expelled from the kingdom their earl Tosti, who had
caused them much bloodshed and disaster, putting to death
all his household, and by grant and permission of St. Edward,
the king, appointed Morcar, the son of Algar, earl of Chester,
to be their earl.

In the second vear of kins? William the first, that kinsr srave
the earldom of Xorthumbria to earl Robert ;^ but the people
of the province slew him and nine hundred men at the same
time.

In the tliird year of king William, Waltheof, the son of
duke Si ward, who has been already mentioned, having been
reconciled with the king, obtained the earldom of North-
umbria after the death of Morcar, the aforesaid earl.

In the ninth year of king William, Ralph, earl of East-
Anglia, conspired to dethrone the king, with Waltheof, the
before-mentioned earl of Northunibria, and Roger, the son of
William Fitz-Osbern, whose sister earl Waltheof married, and
at whose nuptials the conspiracy was hatched. However, the
king, returning to England, threw earl Ralph, his cousin,
into prison ; but he caused earl Waltheof to be beheaded at
Winchester, and he was buried at Croyland, where the monas-
tery of St. Guthlac stands.

All those before-mentioned were sub-kings or eails in
Northumbria, from the period the English people settled
there ; and of this Northumbria the city of York was the
capital.

Note, that the following are the names of the kings of
the Scots, who reigned in Scotland after the Picts.

Kenneth Mac- Alpin, the first after the Picts, 16 years.

Donald Mac-A^jin 3 years.

Constantino Mac-Kenneth 19 years.

Kenneth Mac-Kenneth 1 year.

Tirged Mac-Dugal 12 years.

Donald Mac-Coustantine ;. 11 years.

* Robert de C:>m\n, a.u. 1039.

A a2

388

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1291.

Constantine Mac-Beth .
Malcolm Mac-Donald
Indolf Mac-Constantine .
Duff Mac-Malcolm ... .
Colin Mac-Indulf ... .
Kenneth Mac-Malcolm .
Constantine Mac-Colin .
Kenneth Mac-Duff... .
Malcolm Mac-Kenneth .
Duncan, nephew of Enis
Machet Mac-Finlav

45 years.
9 years.
9 years.

3 years 6 months.

4 years 6 months.
22 years 2 months.

1 year 6 months.
1 year 3 months.
30 years.

5 years 9 months.
17 years.

4 years 6 months.

37 years.

3 years.

1 year 6 months.

9 years.
17 years 3 months.
29 years ;

12 years 6 months.

Lusach

Malcolm Mac-Duncan, married St. Mar-
garet, and reigned ,

Donald, his brother, usurped the crown...

Duncan, bastard, son of Malcolm

Edgar, son of Malcolm and Margaret . . .

Alexander, his brother

David, their most glorious brother

and begat Henry, earl of Huntingdon.

Malcolm, son of earl Henry

William, son of Henry, the aforesaid earl 49 years.

Alexander, son of the aforesaid William 35 years.

Alexander, son of Alexander. He mar-
ried Margaret, daughter of Henrj^, king
of England, and was father of Mar-
garet, queen of Norway.

Here also is inserted the convention between the kings of
England and Scotland, concluded at Lincoln, in the year
[1200],^ in which the king of Scotland did homage to the
king of England. '

' There is a blank in the MS. which is filled up in the text with
1200, in v/hich year William, king of Scotland, did homage to king
John at Lincoln. If there was any instrument executed on this occa-
sion, as the continuator of Florence here leads us to suppose, at least
that which he has inserted in this place is a very different instru-
ment. For the "charter" which follows was granted at York, in
1175, in confirmation of the agreement entered into at Falaise with
Henry IT, on his releasing the king of Scots from his captivity. See
before, the note at p. 302; and Hoveden, vol. i , p. 398, where the
charter is civen ; and vol. ii., p. 502. See, also, Wendover, vol. ii.,
p. 32.

A.D. 1291.J SCOTTISH CHARTERS. 389

THE CHARTER OF WILLIAM, KING OF SCOTLAND.

" "William, king of Scotland, becomes the liegeman of our
lord the king of England against every man in Scotland, and
all other his territories, and has done fealty to him as his liege
lord, as his other vassals are wont to do. In like manner he
has done homage to king Henry, his son, saving ahvays the
fealty to our lord the king, his father.

"^loreover, all the bishops, abbots, and clergy, of the
kingdom of Scotland, and their successors, from whom he may
require it, shall do fealty to our lord the king, as their liege
lord, as his other bishops arc wont to do ; and also to king
Henry, his son, and their heirs.

" Also, the king of Scotland, with David, his brother, and
his barons and other vassals, hath granted to our lord the king-
that the church of Scotland shall henceforth pay such sub-
jection to the church of England as it ought, and was wont
to pay in the time of his predecessors, kings of England.

" In like manner, Richard, bishop of St. Andrews, Ilichard,
bishop of Dunkeld, Geoftrey, abbot of Dumferline, and Her-
bert, prior of Coldingham, have also agreed that the church
of England shall have such jurisdiction over the church
of Scotland as it can lawfully claim ; and that they will
not oppose the rights of the church of England. And for
this agreement they have given sureties to our lord the king
and to his son Henry, in the same manner as when they did
fealty to him as his liegemen. The other bishops and the
clergy of Scotland shall do the same, according to the con-
vention made between our lord the king and the king of
Scotland, and his brother David and his barons.

" The earls, also, and the barons and others holding lands
under the king of Scotland, shall do homage and fealty, if
our lord the king shall require it, to himself and king Henry,
his son, and their heirs, against all the world, saving only tlie
fealty due from him to the king his father. In like manner,
the heirs of the king of Scotland and of his barons, and of
their mesne tenants, shall i)ay homage and allegiance to the
heirs of our lord the king against all the world.

'' Further, the king of Scotland and his liegemen shall not
henceforth harbour any fugitive from the dominions of our
lord the king for cause of felony, either in Scotland or other

390 . FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1291.

his territories, unless he shall be willing to take his trial in the
dominions of our lord the king, and abide by the judgment
of tlie court. But the king of Scotland and liis liegemen
shall arrest him with all possible speed, and deliver him up
to our lord the king, or to his justiciaries and bailiffs in
England.

" Moreover, if there shall be in England any fugitive from
the territories of the king of Scotland on account of felony,
unless he shall be willing to take his trial either in the court
of the king of Scotland, or in the court of our lord the king,
and to abide by the judgment of such court he shall not be
liarboured b}^ our lord the king, but shall be given up to the
men of the king of Scotland by the bailiffs of our lord the king,
when he shall be found.

" Further, the liegemen of our lord the king shall hold
their lands which they have held, and ought to hold, of our
lord the king, and of the king of Scotland, and of their
vassals. And the liegemen of the king of Scotland shall
hold their lands which they have held, and ought to hold, of
our lord the kino* and his vassals.

" For the due performance of this final convention with our
lord the king and his son Henry and their heirs, by the king
of Scotland and his heirs, the king of Scotland has given
possession to our lord the king, at the mercy of our lord the
king, of the castles of Roxburgh, Berwick, and Jedburgh, and
the Maiden castle, and the castle of Sterling. And the king
of Scotland will assign to our lord the king out of his reve-
nues, sums in due proportion at the pleasure of our lord the
king for the expenses, of the custody of the said castles.

" Besides, for the due and final performance of the conven-
tion aforesaid, the king of Scotland has delivered to our lord
the king as hostages, his brother David, and earl Duncan and
many others. When, however, the castles shall be given up,
William, king of Scotland, and his brother David shall be
liberated. Each of the before-mentioned earls and barons
shall also be set at liberty, when he shall have given an
hostage, namely, a legitimate son, if he have one, and in the
case of those who have not, nephews or next heirs ; the castles
having been also surrendered, as before mentioned.

" Further, the king^ of Scotland and his before-named
barons have pledged themselves with good faith, and without
fraud or covin, that, all excuses apart, they w^ill cause the

A.D. 1291.] SCOTTISH CHARTERS. 391

bLsliops, barons, and liegemen of their land, who were not pre-
sent when the king of Scotland concluded this treaty with our
lord tlie king, to make the same allegiance and fealty to our
lord the king and his son Henry, which they themselves have
made ; and deliver hostages to our lord the king of such as
he shall choose, in the same manner as the barons and liege-
men who were here present.

"Moreover, the bishops, earls, and barons have agreed
with our lord the king and his son Henry, that if the king of
Scotland by any chance should withdraw his fealty to our
lord the king and his son, and from the aforesaid covenants,
they will hold with our lord the king, as their liege lord,
against the king of Scotland, and against all the enemies of
our lord the king ; and the bishops will put the territories of
the king of Scotland under an interdict, until he shall return
to his fealty to our lord the king.

"For the due performance of the aforesaid convention
without fraud or covin, by William, king of Scotland, and
David, his brother, and by the barons before named and their
heirs, the king of Scotland himself, and David, his brother,
and all his said barons, have pledged their faith against all
persons, as liegemen of our lord the king, and of his son
Henry, saving their fealty to the king his fiither ; of all which
are witnesses, Richard, bishop of Avranches, &;c. &c."

This instrument ha^g been read in the church of St.
Peter, at York, in the presence of the aforesaid bishops of
England, and before the king of Scotland and David his
brother, and all the people, the bishops, earls, barons, and
knights of the king of the Scots, swore fealty to our lord the
king of England, and to Henry, his son, and their heirs,
against all men, as well as against their own liege lord.

CHARTER OF RICHARD, KING OF ENGLAND.^

"PiiciiARD, by the gi*ace of God, king of England, lord of
Normandy and Aquitaino, count of Anjou, to the archbishops,
l)isiioj)s, abbots, earls, barons, justiciaries, sheriffs, and all his
officers and faithful people throughout the whole of England,
greeting.

' This charter was granted in 1104. See Hoveden (vol. ii., p.
318, &c.) for the transactions oonnrcti'd with it. Ho refers to another
charter, the substance of which will be ])resently given, but does not
mention the restoration of the castles of Roxburgh, Berwick, «S:c.

392 FLORENCE OF "WORCESTER. [a.D. 1291.

" Know ye that we have restored to our most beloved
cousin William, by the same grace, king* of Scotland, his
castles of Roxburgh and Berwick, to be held as his own inhe-
ritance by him and his heirs for ever.

" Moreover, we have released him from all covenants and
agreements which our father Henry, king of England, extorted
from him by new charters, or in consequence of his capture ; in
such manner, nevertheless, that he fully and entirely perform
to us all that his brother Malcolm, king of Scotland, lawfully
performed, or ought to have performed, to our predecessors.
And we will perform to him all that our predecessors performed,
or ought to have performed, in respect of the aforesaid Malcolm
namely, safe conduct in coming to or returning from our court,
and in abiding there, and in procurations, and all liberties,
dignities, and honours which he can lawfully claim, according
to what shall be recognised by four of our barons chosen by
king William and four of his barons chosen by us.

"Further, if any of our liegemen have seized, without
lawful judgment, the borders or marches of the kingdom of
Scotland from the time that the aforesaid king AVilliam was
taken prisoner by our father, we will that they be restored
entire, and replaced in tlie same condition in which they were
before his capture.

" Moreover, with respect to the lands which he has in
England, whether they be held in demesne or fee, namely, in
the county of Huntingdon and elsewhere, let him hold them to
him and his heirs for ever as fully and freely as the said Mal-
colm possessed them or ought to have possessed them, save
such of them as the said Malcolm or his heirs afterwards
infeoiFed. So, however, that if any such lands were after-
terwards enfeoffed, the service for those fees shall belong to
the said king of Scotland and his heirs.

" Whatever also w^as granted by our father to the aforesaid
William, king of Scotland, we ratify and confirm.

" We restore to him the fealty of his liegemen, and all
charters which our lord and father obtained from him by
reason of his capture ; and if by any chance there should be
others retained from forgetfulness, or afterwards discovered,
we command that they shall be treated as null and void. But
he has become our liegeman for all the lands for which his
ancestors were liegemen to our predecessors, and swore fealty

A.D. 1291.] SCOTTISH CHARTERS. 393

to US and our heirs. AVitncsses, Bakhvin, Archbishop of
Canterbury, &c. &;c."

CHARTER OF ALEXANDER 11.,^ KING OF SCOTLAND.

" Alexander, by the p:race of God, king of Scotland, to all
the faithful in Christ Avbo shall see or hear this writing, health.

" We would have you know, that we have covenanted and
faithfully promised, for us and our heirs, to our most beloved
and liege lord, Henry, by the grace of God, the illustrious
king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and
Aquitaine, and count of Anjou, and his heirs, that we will keep
good taith and amity with liim for ever hereafter. And that
we will never, ourselves, or by any persons on our behalf, enter
into any alliance with the enemies of the kings of England or
their heirs, for the purpose of procuring or making war from
which loss may happen, or can by any means ensue, to them
or their kingdoms of England and Ireland, or their other
territories, unless they shall unjustly aggrieve us.

"All this leaves entire the covenants between us and our-
said lord the king of England lately made at York in the
presence of the lord Otho, deacon of St. Nieholas-in-carcere-
Tulliano, at that time legate of the apostolic see in England,
and is without prejudice to the treaty made respecting a mar-
riage between our son and the daughter of the said king of
England.

" And that this our covenant and agreement, for us and our
heirs, may have perpetual force, we have caused Alan the cham-
berlain, 11. do Baliol, and others, to swear on our soul that we
will firmly and faithfully maintain all the rights aforesaid. And
in like manner we have also caused to swear the venerable
fathers, David, William, Geoffrey, and Clement, the bishops
of St. Andrew's, Glasgow, and other sees. And further, our
faithful subjects Patrick, earl of Dunbar, ^lalcolm, earl of
Fife, and others, [have sworn] that if we or our heirs should
contravene the aforesaid covenant and promises (whioli God
forbid), they and their heirs shall lend to us and our heirs
neither aid nor counsel against the said covenant and promise,

' Alexander II., kin;^ of Scotland, died on tlio .Srd July, 1249,
and liis son's marriat^o with tlio daui^htor of Henry III., referred to in
it, took plaeo on the '2(')lh ])(>c(>inber, V2o2 ; so tliat this engagement
was probably entered into shortly before the father's death.

394 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1291.

nor will, to the best of their power, suffer them to be given by-
others; but shall use their endeavours honestly with us and our
heirs that all the aforesaid provisions shall be firmly and faith-
fully kept, both by us and our heirs, and by them and their
heirs, for ever. In witness whereof, we and our prelates, earls,
and barons, have confirmed these presents by affixing our
seals. Witnesses, the earls and barons before mentioned, in the
year of our reign, &c. &c."

LETTER OF ALEXANDER II. TO THE POPE.'"

** To the most holy father in Christ, John, by the grace of
God, pope, Alexander by the like grace, king of Scotland,
earl of Patrick, earl of Stratherne, sends greeting with all
due honour and reverence.

" We certify to your holiness that we have taken our cor-
poral oaths before the venerable father Otho, cardinal deacon
of St. Nicholas-in-carcere-TulL, at that time legate in England
of the apostolic see, and have made our charter, commencing
thus : ' Know all men, present and to come, that it has been
agreed, as follows, in the presence of the lord Otho, of St.
Nicholas,' &c.

" By another, which begins : * We will you all to know, as
appears from the tenor of our former covenants,* we have sub-
mitted ourselves to your jurisdiction, so that we and our heirs
may be restrained by ecclesiastical censures, if we shall at any-
time contravene the before mentioned treaty of peace. And
if it should ever happen tliat we, or all or any of us, should
rashly presume or attempt to contravene the same, and from
thence grievous peril should ensue both to our souls and
those of our heirs, besides great injuries in our persons and
states, we entreat your holiness that you will issue your
mandate to some one of the suffragans of the archbishop of
Canterbury, enjoining him to compel us and our heirs to the
observance of the aforesaid peace, as shall be more fully set
forth in the instruments to be executed on such occasion;
otherwise that you decree by your authority, according to the
canons, against all gainsayers, in regard to the aforesaid peace.
And in confirmation of this our petition, we have set our
seals to the present writing."

^ The date of this letter to the pope must correspond with that of
the preceding document.

A.D. 1291.] SCOTTISH AFFAIRS. 395

William, king of Scotland, claims Northwnherland, ^c.

In the year of grace, 1194,^ king Richard appointed his
coronation-day at Winchester, at the close of Easter [17th
April]. On the second day the king went as far as Clipstone,
to meet William, king of Scotland, and requested all who had
been taken prisoners in the castles of Nottingham, Tickhill,
Mai-lboroiigh, and Lancaster, and at Mount St. Michael, to
attend him at Winchester on the morrow of the close of Easter.
On the tliird day of the same month, being Palm-Sunday, the
king of England rested at Clipstone, and the king of Scotland
at Worksop, on account of the solemnity of the day ; and on
the morrow both kings came to Southwell. On the fifth
day of the same month they went together to Southwell,
where the king of Scotland requested the king of England to
reinstate him in the dignities and honours which his prede-
cessors held in England. He also asked that the earldoms of
Korthumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancaster,
should be restored to him in right of his predecessors : to
which the king of England replied, that he would give him
satisfaction after he had consulted his barons. On the seventh
day of the month the kings proceeded to Gaidington,^ and
abode there until the morrow ; and on Easter-eve they arrived
at Northampton, and abode there the following day.

While tiiere, the king of England, having taken deliberate
counsel with the bishops and nobles of England, made answer
to the king of Scotland that he could by no means grant his
request, as far as regarded Northumberland, and especially in
tliose times, when nearly all the principal men in the kingdom
of France had become his enemies ; for if he were to do so, it
would appear rather to proceed from fear than from love.

* The continuator of Florence is still engaged in reeordino^ a series
of documents and facts connected with the claims of the En<j:lish king's
to the suzerainty of Scotland, putting them together, however, with-
out any re;^ard to the order of dates. The subject of this section is
related in much the same terms by Roger of Wendover. See vol. ii.,
p. 318, and the following pages ; and see also king Richard's charter,
granted in this same year (1 UJ4), before, p. 391.

^ Geddinp^ton, between Southwell and Northampton, an ancient
castle I see Orderic. Vital., b. xiii., p. 917, Duchesne], and a royal seat,
where Henry II. held a parliament in 118<S to raise money for a
crusade.

390 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1291.

How the liing of Scotland is to he received in coming to the

English court.

However, in the presence of liis mother Eleanor, and many
of tlie bishops, earls, and barons of both kingdoms, the king
of England granted and confirmed to William, king of Scot-
land, and his heirs for ever, that whenever they should come
to the court of the kings of England, at their summons, the
bishop of Durham and the sheriff of Northumberland should
receive them at the water of Tweed, and should escort them,
ydth a safe conduct, as far as the water of Tees ; and there
the archbishop and sheriff of York should receive them, and
escort them, with a safe conduct, to the borders of the county
of York ; and in like manner they should be escorted from
county to county by the bishops and sheriffs, until they
reached the court of the king of England. And that from the
time of the entrance of the Idng of the Scots on the territory
of the king of England, he should have daily, from the reve-
nues of the king of England, one hundred shillings for his
livery ; but when the king of Scotland should have arrived at
the court of the king of England, so long as he sojourned at
the said court, he should have daily for his livery thirty shil-
lings, and for the high table twelve wastels, twelve simnels,
with four gallons of the king's best wine, besides eight gallons
of household wine, and two pounds of pepper, four pounds of
cinnamon, twelve stone of wax or else four waxen links, forty
long and thick lengths of the best candle, such as is used by
the king, and eighty lengths of other candle for ordinary use.
And that when he should wish to return to his own country,
he should be escorted by the respective bishops and sheriffs
from county to county, until he should arrive at the water of
Tweed, and should in like manner have daily for his livery,
one hundred shillings from the purse of the king of England.

The aforesaid documents are inserted in this place, although
the events did not all occur in the present year ; because the
right heirs of the kings of Scotland having now failed, and
the Scots having claimed hereditary rights, aiming at the entire
exclusion of our lord the king of England, to whom the suze-
rainty of that kingdom belongs, the documents were sought
out in the old chronicles, through various parts of England,
and were r§ad this year before all the barons and ecclesiastical
prelates, to serve for a memorial in future times.

A.D. 1291, 1292.] REIGN OF EDWARD I. 397

^Tlio kings, Rodol])h of Germany, and Peter of Arragon,
ended tlieir lives. The city of Acre, witli all it contained,
was taken and laid in ruins by the sultan of Babylon and his
army of Pagans, after Nicliolas, the patriarch of Jerusalem, had
been drowned at sea, and some of the Christians had escaped b}-
flicfht, and a jjreat number had fallen bv the sword. On this
occasion the Pagans lost incredible numbers of their own army.

Peter, bishop of Exeter, and William, bishop of Salisbury,
departed this life. Master Thomas de Bitton, dean of Wells,
succeeded to the see of Exeter, and to Salisbury, the lord
Nicholas Longspee, treasurer of that cliurch.

After the death of Rodolph, king of Germany, the electors
being divided, John d'Aveynes, count of Agenois, was elected
by four, and Reginald, count of Gueldres, by three.

[a.d. 1292.] From Christmas-eve until St. Silvester's day
[31st December], both exclusively, neither sun, moon, nor
stars a])poarcd, and there were neither snow, hail, frost, rain,
or wind, but (may it be a happy omen) all the elements sunk
together into a profound state of repose.

Our lord the king celebrated the feast of Christmas with
great solemnity at Westminster, and Gilbert, earl of Glou-
cester, with his countess, the king of England's daughter, at
Clare.

The pope granted to the king of England, as a subsidy for
the Holy Land, the tenth of all ecclesiastical revenues, and
of all the chattels of the men of religion of every order,
except the Hospitallers and Templars. The pope died at
Rome on the fourth of the month of April, being Easter-eve,
and the see remained void.

The king and royal family visit St. Edmondshury .

Our lord the king, having arrived at St. Edmund's, with
his son and daughters, on the eve of the Translation of St.
Edmund [28th April], celebrated that feast with great solem-
nity, lie staid either there or at the abbot's manor of Culeford,
which lies at the distance of tliree miles from St. Edmund's, for
nearly ten entire days ; and then, proceeding onwards, took

' Wo now return to tho current of events in the year 1291, which
had been interrupted from p. .S82, tl\e interval having been oceupieJ
cxclu.'jivcly on the affairs of Scotland.

398 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1292.

Walsingliam in liis journey towards Scotland. During his
retreat, he granted us^ a charter, to prevent for the future any
of his justiciaries from presuming to hold a court, on any oc-
casion, within the banlieu [precincts] of St. Edmund's, on
pretext of any previous usurpation.

llliys-ap-Meredith taken and executed at Yorh.

Ehys-ap -Meredith, a very powerful Welsh chieftain, having
taken to the cover of dense woods, and raised an insurrection
against the peace of the king of England, was seized by some
faithful adherents of the king, while urging his career of
mva-^a and slaughter, and being brought through the midland
par^ of England to the king at York, was drawn through the
whole city, and, at last, hung till he died.

Within fifteen days of Easter [6th April], by means of W.
de Redham, sheriff of Korfolk and Suffolk, the charters of our
liberties were allowed in the exchequer, and the liberties con-
tained in them, which had hitherto been unquestioned, were
adjudged to our church for ever. Of this sort were the
common amerciaments in the circuits of the justiciaries, both
of our tenants and of any strangers Avithin the liberty : of our
own vassals also, wheresoever found, for murders, robberies, a
year and a day ;^ " quare non venit ;" " quare sepeliunt;" like-
wise the amerciaments of our own liegemen, summoned before
any of the justiciaries assigned by the king, wherever they are
amerced, chattels of felons and fugitives, and other things of
this kind. The entire sum of six hundred and forty pounds
was forthwith allowed the abbot, for those liberties which
had hitherto existed.

Oil the succession to the throne of Scotland, on the death of

Alexander III,

The nobles of the kingdom of Scotland having met our
lord the king of England, at Berwick, pursuant to the ap-

* It will be observed that the continuator speaks of himself as be-
longing to the convent of St. Edmund's.

^ A part of the king's prerogative, whereby he challenged the
profits of the lands and tenements of those who were attamted of
petty treason or felony, for a year and a day, or might waste the
tenements. The words in Latin are the names of ancient writs or
forms of proceedings.

A.D. 1292.] BALIOL MADE KING OF SCOTLAND. 399

pointment made the preceding ycar,^ on the morrow of the
Holy Trinity [2nd June], concerning the affairs of the Scottish
crown. The matter was adjourned, on the understanding
within fifteen days of St. Michael in the year next following,
the dominion of the kingdom should either be adjudged to
one of the claimants by the before-named arbitrators, or some
other person should be raised to the throne by the selection
of the king of England.

At the time appointed, the persons above named, to whose
consideration the affliir was committed, having met the three
pretenders to the throne of Scotland also before named, it
was clearly decided by the former that the claims of the
lords R. de Bruce and J. de Hastings ought to be treated
as null and void; and they declared that the right to
the throne was vested in John de Baliol as the nearest in
blood. Whereupon, having first done fealty to our lord the
king of England for the whole Scottish territories, on the
feast of St. Edmund, king and martyr, the said lord John
was, with all due ceremonies, according to the usages anciently
established, solemnly placed on the royal throne of Scotland
on St. Andrew's day [30th November], at Scone, in the pre-
sence of the lords J. de Warrenne and H. de Lincoln, the
earls who attended on the part of the king of England ; the
homage due to the king of England, as the supreme lord, for the
whole kingdom with its dependencies, having still to be done.

On the eighth of the calends of June [2oth May], the
entire city of Carlisle, with the suburbs, and the cathedral
church in it, was consumed by fire. The elections of John,
count of Agenois, and Reginald, count Gueldres, to the king-
dom of Germany, having been quashed by the court of Rome,
Adolphus, count of Nassau, was elected and raised to the throne.

On the feast of SS. Crispin and Crispianus [25th October],
Robert Burnel, lord bishop of Bath and Wells, the king's
chancellor, ended his life, and was succeeded by master
William de la Marche, treasurer of our lord the king of Eng-
land. John, the lord archbishop of Canterbury, went the
way of all flesh on the sixth of the ides [the 8tli] of January.
Our lord the king celebrated the feast of Christmas at New-
castle-upon-Tyne, where he met John,^ king of the Scots, who

> See before, p. 383. ^ John Baliol.

400 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1293,

on the feast of the morrow did homage to him for the king-
dom of Scotland and its dependencies.

A.D. 1293.] Our lord the king ordered and appointed by
public proclamation that all who were in possession of forty
pounds [a-year] in land should receive knighthood within twelve
days of Christmas next following. Master Eobert de Winchel-
soa, archdeacon of Essex, was elected in St. Paul's church, at
London, to the archbishoi) of Canterbury. Master Thomas
Eek, bishop of St. David's, died, and was succeeded by a cer-
tain clerk, named master David Fitz-Martin, a canon of the
same church.

John, archbishop of York, being offended with Anthony,
bishop of Durham, for not suffering him, as his primate, to
hold a visitation of himself and the chapter of Durham, had
solemnly and publicly fulminated a sentence of excommuni-
cation against the bishop of Durham himself, and all who
remained in communion with him. Whereupon our lord the
king, as well because the bishop of Durham was a favourite
of his, as because his own person and that of his sons was
not, as they say, excepted from the sentence pronounced,
which was a breach of the privilege allowed him by the
Eoman church, he was disposed to be indignant against the
archbishop of York. Finding this, he purchased the king's
favour and pardon at the expense of three thousand pounds,
saving only the right of his church of York, and of his
action against the bishop of Durham.

Piratical sea-jight between the English and their allies, and

the French.

A great and severe naval battle was fought near St. Mahe,^
on the ides [the 13th] of June, being Friday next before the
feast of Whitsuntide, between the fleets of England, Ireland,
and Bayonne on one side, and the Norman fleet on the other,
in which the Norman ships and forces being almost utterly
destroyed, sunk in the sea, or put to the sword, the English
gained a signal victory and great spoil, without any loss to
their own armament. One hundred and eighty ships of the
Korman fleet, captured in this engagement, were distributed
among the victors. Thirty ships fell to the lot of Yarmouth

' In Brittany.

A.D. 1293, 1294.] A SEA FIGHT. 401

alone, and were brought to Yarmouth loaded with booty, in
the character of sj)oils ; the otliers were distributed among
the rest of the victors, in proportion to their forces and the
aid they had lent. There were only three ships belonging
to Bavonne in this enG:a2:ement.

A much fiercer sea-fight followed, in M'hich the Normans
had assembled the forces of the Germans, Flemings, and even
of the Lombards, with a great number of ships. Being en-
countered by those of the Cinque-Ports, Bavonne, and Ireland,
at the first onset many fell on the side of the English ; but
rallying at last, they burnt, sunk, and destroyed part of the
enemies' fleet with their crews. Thus victory declared on
the side of the English, though not without great bloodshed,
and heavy losses among their troops. The battle was fouglit
on Mars day [Tuesday], the seventh of the calends of June
[2Gth May], being the feast of St. Augustine; and thus a
martial achievement was accomplished on the day of Mars.

Great part of the town of Cambridge with the church of
St. Mary was consumed by fire on the seventh of the ides
[the 7th] of July. William, abbot of Thorney, departed this
life, and was succeeded by Odo, monk and almoner of the
same abbey. Eleanor, eldest daughter of the king of England,
married the lord Henry, count of Bar-le-Duc, at Bristol on
Sunday, the eve of St. Matthew the apostle [20th September].

A Genoese pirate,^ named Zacharias, having gained a vic-
tory over the Pagans in the Mediterranean Sea, and taken
tlieir spoils, sent twelve Pagan captives to each of five
Christian kings, namely the kings of France, England,
Germany, Spain, and Cyprus. The lord king of England
celebrated the Nativity of our Lord in England, at Canter-
bury , and the lord king of France at Boulogne-sur-Mer.

King Edward visits St. Edmundshury.

[a.d. 1294.] Our lord the king visited St. Edmund's with
great devotion on the feast day of that holy king and martyr
[18th Marcli] ; and although he only staid one night, his

' Quidam pirata de Januensibus Bundensibus.^^ There was a little
seaport, called Bundium, afterwards, in French, Buin, at the mouth of
the Garonne, famous for pirates in the ninth century, as we find from
Eginhard. But this wa* long before, and we can trace no connection
between it and Genoa.

B B

402 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1294.

purveyors made a luxurious and ample provision for the table
of the convent on the morrow.

Edward im'prudently cedes Aquitaine and Gascon^ to France.

King Edward, who had hitherto, like another Solomon, been
magnificent and glorious in all his acts, became so infatuated
as to form an irregular attachment for Blanche,^ the sister
of Philip, king of France, and his own cousin, she being in
the second degree of near consanguinity ; and having applied
to the court of Rome for a dispensation to enable him to
contract a marriage with her, he obtained it. With this view,
following the dictates of his own will, and without consulting
his fiiithful counsellors, he freely resigned his territories of
Aquitaine and Gascony, with all their dependencies into the
hands of the king of France, expecting to receive back those
states in free-marriage with Blanche before-mentioned. The
instrument of resignation was executed at St. Edmund's, the
king being there at that time, and the chancellor being sum-
moned from London by the king to bring the seal in Lent
[3rd March].

According to some statements, there was another reason
for the loss of the aforesaid territories. For the king of England
holding them from the king of France the lord paramount for
a certain service to be done to him, and for performance of
which, according to ancient rights appertaining to the tenure
of those territories, he had been often and often summoned to
the court of France, without, as the French assert, having
ever made his appearance, either in person or by some other
who should duly represent him — at length, after legal pro-
ceedings had been deliberately taken in the affair, on consider-
ation by the whole court of France, after Easter [18th
April], the king of England and his heirs were for his rebellion
and contumacy, adjudged to have utterly forfeited, and were
deprived and ousted of, the said territories.

A different account of this extraordinary proceeding is
given by others ; namely, that as the king of England had
vowed to undertake a pilgrimage on behalf of the cross of
our salvation, he made an arrangement of this sort with
respect to his territories beyond sea, in order to provide for
their security and tranquillity in the meantime. However,
^ Blauche, an error for Margaret. This is a strange story.

A.D. 1294.] EDWARD I. CEDES GASCONT, ETC. 403

the woman who had caused this commotion, having received
full and peaceable possession and disposal of these territories,
addressed a letter to the king of England, who had ceded
them of his own free will, so rashly and inconsiderately,
informing him that it was not her intention to marry a!iy
man, and far less one Avho was of such advanced age. Thus
disappointed of his illicit, though much coveted union, he
lost, alas ! the inheritance of his ancestors.

Edward I. levies forces against the French.
The king of England at length returning to his senses, and
repenting, although too late, of his rash act, engaged on his
side the forces of neighbouring kings and princes to avenge
the injury he had sustained, and recover the lands so fraudu-
lently occupied ; and assembled a powerful land and naval
armament. For this purpose he won over, or compelled to
join him — in some cases for pay, in others by virtue of the
treaties and alliances they had contracted — Adolphus, king of
Germany, and all the great men of that country, such as
Sigefred, archbishop of Cologne, the bishop of Utrecht,
and others, both kings, bishops, dukes, counts, and all the
powers subject to the empire of Germany. He also collected
large reinforcements for the war from the king of Arragon,
his close ally, the dukes and counts of Provence and Savoy,
and their forces, as well as from Lombardy and the people of
other countries. John, duke of Bra])ant, Constantino, count
of Holland and Zealand, and Henry, count of Bar-le-Duc,
hastened to join the expedition at the head of their troops.

A suhsidy granted for the war.

The peers of England, also, both spiritual and temporal,
having been convened touching a subsidy to the king for
carrying on his war beyond sea, liberally granted it, with the
reservation that it should not be made a precedent on future
occasions. For, levying a scutage on all ecclesiastical persons,
both archbishops, bishops, and the elder abbots, as well as
even on widows and other ladies and females who held of him
in capite by knight's-service, .at the rate of one hundred
marks for each fee, he forced them to compound for money ;
the abbot of St. Edmund alone paying for six knights, for
which h(» was bound by tenure to answer to tlie king, and so
of the rest. But the payment was deferred until he should
cross the sea.

B B 2

404 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1294.

A general inquisition into all property.

In this state of affairs, the king of England, in despite of
God and man (would he had been better advised), on the
feast of the translation of St. Martin [4th July], which fell
on a Sunday, caused his officers before commissioned 'for the
purpose, to make their appearance suddenly and unexpectedly,
on one and the same day and hour, in all parts of England,
to make careful and diligent inquiry, search, and inspection,
in all and every the religious houses, both in churches and
others whatsoever ; and in all their offices, not even sparing
the towers and lanterns of the churches, nor paying any
respect to rank, worth, or fortune, or to any exclusive privi-
leges. This royal inquisition or investigation was so general,
that neither monasteries nor consecrated buildings, nor even
the interior of the houses for lepers were spared. The com-
missioners went about through the houses, dwellings, and
lodgings of the prelates, whether archbishops, bishops, or
abbots ; and of the archdeacons and prebendaries, in cathedral
or other churches ; and in those of rectors and vicars ; as well
as among all cities, boroughs, castles, towns, villages, and
persons, where they hoped to find any money ; and ordering*
all locks to be opened, and making inventories of all articles
they found, replaced them in their repositories. Those which
were not opened they forced with violence, and taking an
inventory with them, although they carried nothing off, they
closed the repositories, affixing their seals both to those which
were unlocked and those which they broke open, and departed.

By an act of such atrocious wickedness, as was never before
heard of, and beyond all measure hateful to pious ears, they
profaned with their forcible search, spite of its ecclesiastical
immunities, the monastery of St. Edmund, king and martyr,
with the adjoining vill, which had been established as a city
of refuge from ancient times, and which no king had hitherto
ventured to meddle with. And paying no respect either to
royal charters or papal decrees, they proceeded in all respects,
to the peril of their souls, according to their mode of acting in
other places, and even beyond. They also retained the bills
they found in the hands of the English merchants, for moneys
owing to them from their debtors, and compeUed these to
make payment to themselves.

A.D. 1294.] ALIEN MONASTERIES SEIZED. 405

Election of pope Celestine V.

One Pctor of Muro/ a native of Apulia, and at one
time notary of the emperor Frederic, ^vllO, after being
a Benedictine monk at Monte Cassino, became a Cistercian,
and retired to the life of an anchorite, was elected pope at
the age of a hundred years and more, at Perugio, on the
morrow of the Translation of St. Martin ; the apostolical see
having been then void two years, three months, and nine
days. He took the name of Celestine V., and was consecrated
and solonmly enthroned on the day before the ides [the 12th]
of September.

A famine in England.

A severe famine and scarcity prevailed throughout England.
A quarter of wheat, which could scarcely be procured at all, and
that not without difficulty, was sold in some places for twenty-
four shillings ; and besides, the months of August and the
vSeptember following were so wot from continual rains, that
little or no new corn could be obtained as late as the feast
of St. Michael [29th September].

Edward seizes the alien religious houses.

The king of England laid his hands on all the religious
houses throughout England, which were subject to chapters
beyond sea, with their revenues from whencesoever pro-
ceeding, and committing their administration to stewards and
guardians of his own appointment, allowed a certain stipend
to the monks who were living in those houses ; the surplus he
applied to the expences of his war. He did not thus disturb
the Cistercians ; but the Cluniacs, and Pra^monstratcnsians,
and others whose property was not spared, he forced to live
in distress, want, and affliction. Moreover, he commanded
that all the yearly pensions payable to his own principal
religious houses should be brought into his own treasury.

The king exacts from the clergy half of their revenues.

The same king, in a parliament held at Westminster, on
the feast of St. Michael, and the morrow of the same [29th

' Pope Celestine V. was born at Muro, a town in the Basilicata,

406 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1294.

and 30tli of September], by the use of prayers, exhortations,
and even threats, induced and forcibly compelled all and
every the prelates of England with their clergy, and all the
religious holding property, who were summoned to that parlia-
ment, to grant him one moiety of all their goods, spiritual and
temporal, to be taken according to the last valuation for
tenths, and paid at three terms in the same year. This levy
is said to have reached the large sum of eleven hundred
thousand pounds. Our^ payment alone amounted to six hun-
dred and fifty-five pounds eleven shillings and fourpence.

Death of the archbishop of Dublin, the hinges ambassador.

[Meanwhile, master John de Saunford, archbishop of
Dublin, who, with the lord Antony, bishop of Durham, and
others of the council of the king of England, had been
envoys to the king of Germany, and the other princes of
that country, attended by a great retinue, returned to England,
and died at Yarmouth a few days after his landing there.

William de Montfortj the king's inquisitor, dies suddenly.

In the parliament held next following, master William de
Montfort, dean of St. Paul's, London, who was proctor at
the court of Eome concerning the affair of the tenths, long
since granted to the king of England for the succour of the
Holy Land, and was the principal instrument and promoter of
the king's measures for the subversion of the liberties of the
English Church,^ was unexpectedly struck with a sudden
illness, in the sight of the king and those who were sitting with
him, and presently falling to the ground breathed his last : he
was carried to St. Paul's, and there laid beside his father.

Insurrection of the Welsh.

The Welsh, thinking that they had found a convenient and
favourable opportunity, broke into rebellion against the king
of England, under their chief, one Meredyth-ap-Llewellyn ;
and seizing Snowdon, slaughtered and ill-used many of the

* That of the abbey of St. Edmund's.

^ Other accounts represent the dean in a different light. Matt, of
Westm. says that ne was interceding with the king to lessen the
burdens of the clergy, when he was seized with sudden illuess.

A.D. iL'J-i.J A SUBSIDY FOR THE WARS. 407

king's liego-men wliom tliey found tliere, laid the castles ia
ruins, and did otlier scandalous enormities throughout Wales,
to the king's loss and dishonour.

A siihsidi/ granted.

On the morrow of St. Martin [12th November], at West-
minster, the tenth of all their goods was granted to him by
the laity, as a subsidy for his wars, both in Wales and France.
The inhabitants of the cities and boroughs, and on other
domains of tlie king, were taxed a tentii ; but merchants
living in other places a seventh, and the rest of the commons
the tenth penny. The vill of St. Edmund's, in wiiich hitherto
no king's officer, from the time our liberties were first granted,
had presumed to exercise any jurisdiction, was taxed by the
general assessors of the country, sitting in the Tolze}'^, the
public place of the vill, and submitting the particulars to a
jury of the burgesses ; nor could we, alas ! either for money
or love, procure the exoneration of our servants from being >
included in the community. However, the affair was settled"'
by its being admitted tliat in future it should never cause )
any prejudice to our liberties in this respect, and others )
hitherto used and enjoyed ; and a special instrument was '/
given us to this effect. ^^

The naval armament of the king of England, lately des-
patched to Gascony, had wonderful success in a short time,
liaving taken and subjugated several castles and territories
with great vigour. The king of England, during his expe-
dition into Wales, spent Christmas at Aberconwy.

Pope Celestine V. abdicates.

Pope Celestine, taking into consideration the infirmity of
his condition and age, made a decree, and shortly afterwards
procured it to be confirmed by the brethren [in conclave],
that the Roman pontiff' for the time being might, if it should
seem to him fit and proper, resign his dignity, and retire to
the leisure or repose of a severer rule of life. Having de-
cided this, when he had governed the church as pope for five
months and twenty-one days, he retired on the feast of St.
Lucy tlie Virgin [13th December], having first made his re-
signation, to his former retreat in the solitude he loved at

408 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1294, 1295.

Naples. After his cession, the Roman see was void for eleven
days ; but on the eleventh day, being the eve next following
our Lord's Nativity, the lord Benedict, a native of Anagnia,
cardinal-deacon, with the title of St. Nicholas in-Carcere
Tulliano, was elected, and took the name of Boni . . . .^

Two Cardinals arrive as mediators between the kings of
England and France.

[a.D. 1295.] In this year, for the restoration of peace be-
tween the kings and kingdoms of France and England, the
pope sent into England two cardinals, men, doubtless, gifted
with great wisdom and prudence, Avho landed before the feast
of St. Peter ad-Yincula [1st August], and proceeded to Lon-
don. The king on his return from Wales, after subjugating
the Welsh and obtaining hostages for their faithfully keeping
the peace thereafter, met these cardinals at London, and
giving them a gracious and courtly reception, and having
summoned the barons of the realm, and the prelates of the
churches, to appear before the said cardinals and hear the mes-
sage of the pope, he held his parliament there ; and they
clearly set forth the pope's mandate for the renewal of peace,
in the presence of our lord the king, and his peers and pre-
lates. After hearing the reasons and proposals publicly
offered by the said cardinals, the king postponed his answer
until the third day, wishing to consult and deliberate upon
the premises. Having so deliberated and consulted with the
peers and the prelates of the church, and the cardinals and
peers having met in parliament on the day appointed, our lord
the king replied for himself and his kingdom — that out of
reverence to the pope, saving his own rights and those of his
kingdom, he was ready to renounce his war, with a willing
mind, and faithfully observe the former treaties of peace and
concord, saving the dignity of his crown and the rights of his
kingdom. On receiving this answer, the said cardinals
hastened to cross to parts beyond sea, in order that they
might treat with the king of France in the premises.

' In a side-note it is added : — " Having been elected pope on the
eleventh of the calends of February [22nd January], he was inaugu-
rated in the city. Immediately thereupon, he summoned his prede-
cessor to his presence, and committed him to close, but honourable,
custody at his court.

A.D. 1295.] REIGN OF EDWARD I. 409

[William cle Wodcford elected abbot of St. Edmund's.]

The lord Pilcliard of London, al)bot of this house, closed his
days on the morrow of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
[16th August], and was succeeded by the lord William de
Wodeford, at that time sacristan of the same house. He was
elected on the feast of the Decollation of St. John the Baptist
[29th August], obtained possession of the barony on the six-
teenth day before the feast of St. Michael, and made his solemn
entrance on the feast of All Saints [1st November]. And
because he was always courteous in the transaction of business,
he found our lord the kins: and his collectors lenient and
courteous during the avoidance ; and it is to be noted that
they did not lay hands on the property of the obedientiaries^,
while the office of abbot was void.

The Idng vainly endeavours to extort more money.

After the feast of St. Edmund [5th January], the king
lingered at London, and, having summoned there the peers of
England and the prelates of the church, used his utmost
elibrts to extort from the clergy the moiety of their goods, in
the same manner as the preceding year, and from the people
what he had obtained before. He was informed in reply,
both by the clergy and people, that they could by no means
grant tliis, but in case it happened that the war should con-
tinue, without any hope of peace being restored, the clergy
granted a tenth, and the people an eleventh ; but for one year
only. And so they parted.

Death of Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester.

Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester, ended at once his life
and his lawsuit, before Christmas, in the seventh year after his
most unjust proceeding relative to de la Bigging,^ and was
buried with due ceremony at Tewkesbury, near the tombs of
his ancestors. In this year, on the second day of the month

' See note before, p 371.

^ There was a pl;u;e of this name near Anstcy, in Hertfordshire,
where a hospital, dedicated to St. Mary, was founded.

410 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER. [a.D. 1295*

of October, the lord Robert, arclibishop of Canterbury, was
solemnly enthroned in his pontifical see, in the presence of the
king and nearly all the suffragans of his archbishopric.

Treason and execution of Thomas de Turhemlle.

The lord Thomas de Turbeville, a certain knight who was
a native of La IMarche, and a servant and special favourite of
our lord the king of England, was sent with the king's army
to Gascony, where he was taken prisoner with some of his
fellow soldiers in an engagement with the French troops, and
placed in close custody under their power. Meanwhile, there
were dealings between him and the king of France for his be-
traying the king of England, and leading him astray by his
counsels. This being settled, and having apparently effected
his escape from prison by stealtli, he returned to England, and'
presenting himself to the king, was graciously received, hiding
his evil intentions under sheep's clothing. He had agreed
with the king of France that he would involve all England,
Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, in a general war on one and the
same day ; so that while the king of England was occupied in
such various quarters, a naval armament of the king of France
might effect a landing in such English port as he might select,
without resistance or impediment, and he might dispose of and
rule the land at his Own will and pleasure. In reward for
this treason, the king of France engaged to give the princi-
pality of Wales to him and his heirs.

But as there is nothing hidden which shall not be revealed,
he became suspected of the treason by some of the king's
faithful friends, and even by the king himself, in consequence
of certain preceding tokens ; and as he, therefore, withdrew
from court, search was made in every direction to have him
brought back. The king was in Kent, and engaged at Can-
terbury, when the traitor was brought to London ; and there
were found upon him both letters addressed to him by the king
of France, and copies of letters transmitted by him to the
king ; treasonable documents which verified the facts clearer
than hght. On the eve of St. Denis [8th October], he was
therefore torn asunder by horses at London, until death ended
his sufferings ; and his head was carried to the Tower to be
set up there.

A.D. 1293.] EDWARD I. GOES TO SCOTLAND. 411

A naval expedition to Gascony,

The king of England celebrated our Lord's Nativity at St.
Alban's. A naval armament of the king of England, destined
for Gascony, set sail from Plympton in Cornwall on St.
Stephen's day [2Gth December], under tlie command of the
lords Edmund, the king's brother, and H. de Lacy, earl of
Lincoln ; and witliin eight days landed with great expedition
in the parts of Gascony. In the beginning of Lent [16th
February], the king, after s})ending three days here^ at St.
Peter's, proceeded on his journey towards Scotland, with the
intention of reducing his enemies to submission.^

' At the abbey of St. Edmund's.

' The Continuation ends aljruptly, having brought the course of
events to the close of the year 12D5.

THE END OF THE THIRD CONTINUATION.

412

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

LISTS OF POPES AND BISHOPS, AND
GENEALOGIES,

PBEFIXED TO THE CHRONICLE.

THE NAMES OF THE POPES.

A.D,

[ 58—

[91-

[ 78-

[100-

[109-

[119-

[127-

[139-

[142-

[157-

[168-

[177-

[193-

[202-

[219-

[223-

[230-

[235-

66. ]
100.]
91. ]
109.]
119.]
127.]
139.]
142.]
157.]
168.]
177.]
■193.]
202.]
■218.]
•222.]
■230.]
■235.]
■236.]

Peter.

Clemens.i

Anacletus.

Evaristus.

Alexander.

Sixtus.

Telesphorus.

Hygiiius.

Pius.

Anicetus.

Soter.

Eleutherius.

Victor.

Zepliyrinus.

Calixtus.

Urban,

Pontian.

Antlieros.

A.D.

[236—250.]

[251—252.]

[252—253.]

[253—257.]

[257—258.]

[259—269.]

[269—274.]

[275—283.]

[283—296.]

[296—304.]

[308—310.]

[310., May-

[311—314.]

[314—335.]

[336, Jan.—

[337—352.]

[352—366,]

[366—384.]

Fabian

Cornelius.

Lucius.

Stephen.

Sixtus [II.]

Dionysius.

Felix.

Eutychian.

Caius.

Marcellinus,

Marcellus.

-Sept.] Eusebius

Melcliiades.

Silvester.

Oct.] Mark.

Julius.

Liberius,

Damasus.

1 Florence has omitted Limis, who is generally supposed to have suc-
ceeded St. Peter, and to have been bishop of Rome from a.d. 66 to 78. He
has also erroneously placed Clemens before Anacletus, sometimes called
Cletus, and sometimes treated as a different person and placed before
Clemens, who is thus made to precede Anacletus. See Ordericus Vitalis,
Vol. i., p. 313 (Antiq. Lib.). The history of these first successors of St.
Peter is involved in great obscurity.

It has been already observed that the tables and genealogies here
appended are prefixed to the manuscript copies of Florence of Worcester,
and were probably compiled by himself. They received a few additions from
the first of his Continuators, for the lists of the bishops are brought down
to the year 1141, or thereabouts, as appears from the names of the two last
archbishops, and the bishop of London, included in them; Theobald having
been appointed in 11S9, Thurstau in 1140, and Robert (of Reading), bishop
of London, in 1141.

J

FLORENCE OF AVORCESTER.

413

LIST OF THE POrES— Continued.

A.D.

[384-
[398-
[402-
[417-
[418-
[422-
[432-
[441-
[461-
[468-
[483-
[492-
[496-
[498-
[514-
[523-
[526-
[530-
[533-
[535-
[536-
[538-
[556-
[560-
[574-
[578-
[590-
[604-
[606,
[607-
[615-
[618-
[625-
[610,
[640-
[642-

• 398.] Siricius.
-402.] Anastasius.
-417.] Innocent.
-418.] ZosLiuus.
-422.] Boniface.
-432.] Celestine.
-440.] Si.Ktus [III.]
-461.] Leo I.
-468.] Hilary.
-483.] Simplicius.
-492.] Felix [IIL?]
-496.] Gelasius.
-498.] Anastasius.
-514.] Symmachus.
-523.] Hormisda.
-526.] John.
-530.] Felix.
-532.] Boniface.
-535.] John [IL]
-536.] Agapete.
-538.] Sylverius.
-555.] Yigilius.
-560.] Pelagius.
-573.] John [IIL]
-578.] Benedict.
-590.] Pelagius.
-604.] Gregory [L]
-606.] Sabinian.
Feb.— Nov.] Boniface [IV.]
-615.] Boniface [V.]
-618.] Deusdedit.
-625.] Boniface [VI.]
-638.] Honorius.
May — Oct.] Severinus.
-642.] John [IV.]
-649.] Theodore.

[649-

[655-

[657-

[672-

[676-

[679-

[682-

[684-

[685-

[686-

[701-

[705-

[708,

[708—

[715—

[731-

[741—

[752-

[757-

[768-

[772-

[795-

[816-

[817-

[824-

[827,

[827-

[844-

[847-

[855-

[858-

[867-

[872-

[882-

[884-

..D.

-655.

-657.

-672.

-676.

-678.

-682.

-683.

-685

-686.

-701.

-705.

-707.

Martin.
Eugenius.
Yitalian,
Adeodatus.
Don us.
Agatho.
Leo II.
Benedict II.
John [V.]
Con on. — Sergius,
John [VI.]
John [VII.]

Jan. — Feb.] Sisinnius.

715.] Constantine.

731.] Gregoiy [II.]

741.] Gregory [IIL]

752.] Zachary.
-757.] Steplien [IL]
-767.] Paul.
-772.] Stephen [IIL]
-795.] Adrian.
-810] Leo III.
-817.] Stephen [IV]
-824.] Paschal.
-827.] Eugenius.
Aug. — Oct.] Valentine.
-844.] Gregory [IV.]
-847.] Sergius [IL]
-855.] Leo IV.
-858.] Benedict IIL
-867.] Nicholas.
-872.] Adrian [IL]
-882.] John [VIII.]'
-884.] Mariuus.
—885.] Agapete. \
Adrian [IIL] J

414

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

LIST OF THE POPES— Continued.

A.D.

[885—891.] Stephen [VI.] Basil.
[891—896.] Formosus.
[897, 15 days.] Boniface [VI.]
[897—901.] Stephen [VII.]

Eomanus III.

Theodore.

[901—904.] John IX.

905.] Benedict IV.

906.] LeoV. )

Christopher, j

[907—910.] Sergius III.

911—912. Anastasius III.

912. Lando.
[913—928.] John X.

928. Leo VI.
[029—931.] Stephen VIII.
[931—936.] John XI.
[936—939.] LeoVII.
[939—943.] Stephen IX.
[943— 946.]MarinusrMartinIII.]
[946—955.] Agapetus II.
[955—963.] John XII.

964.] Benedict V.

[965—972.] John XIII.

[972—974.] DomnusII

diet VI.i

Benedict VII
John XIV.
John XV.

Bene-

[974-

-983.]
984.]
[985—996.]

[996—999.] Gregory V.
[999—1003.] Silvester II.
1003. John XVI,

A.D.

[1003—1009.] John XVII.

[1009—1012.] Sergius IV.
[1012—1024.] Benedict VIII.
[1024—1034.] John XVIIl.
[1034—1043.] Benedict IX
[1044—1046.] Gregory VI.
[1046—1048.] Clement [II.]
[1048, July — Aug.] Damasus.
[1048—1054] St. Leo ; Bruno.
[1055—1057.] Victor [II.] ;

Gehehard.
[1057—1058.] Stephen [IX.]

Frederic-Beuedict,

who was speedily

deposed.
[1058—1059.] Nicholas [II.];

Gerard.
[1061—1073.] Alexander [II.];

Anselm.
[1073—1085.] Gregory [VII.] ;

Hildebrand.
[1086—1087.] Victor [III.] ;

Desiderius, abbot
ofCassino.
[1088—1099.] UrbanlL; Odo, 11

years and 7 days.
[1099—1118.] Paschal [II.]; 19

years and 18 days.
1118. Gelasius [Q.]; of
Gaieta.
[1119—1124.] Calixtus [II.]
[1124—1130.] Honorius [IL] ;

of Ostia.2

1 There is so mucli confusion in the list between John, in 972, and
Clement II., in 1046, that Blair's is substituted. Florence gives the succession
thus ; Stephen (two) ; Marinus ; Agapete ; Octavian ; Leo VIII ; Benedict
V. ; John ; and Benedict VI.

2 Honorius II. died 14th Feb., 1130. His successor, Innocent II.,
(1130 — 1148) ought to have been added to bring up the list of the popes to
the same era as those of the English bishops.

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

415

THE NAMES OF THE ARCHBISHOPS AND BISHOPS OF

ENGLAND.

KENT.

The Names of the Archhishojys of the Church of Canterhimj.

1. Augustine.

2. Laurentius.

3. Mellitus.

4. Justus.

5. Hon onus.
C. Deusdedit.

7. Theodore.

8. Berhtwald.

9. Tatwine.

10. Nothelm.

11. Cuthbert.

J 2. Breogwine.
13. Jainbert.
It. Ethelhard.
15. Wulfred.
I(). Feologild.

17. Ceolnuth.

18. Ethered.

19. Plegmund

20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.

^thelm.

Wulfhelm.

Odo.

Dunstan.

Etbelgar.

Sigeho.

Alfric.

^Ipbege.

Living.

Ethelnoth.

Eadsi.

Kobert.

Stigand.

Lanlranc.

Anselm.

Ralph.

William.

Theobald.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Rochester.

1.

2.

3.

4.

o.

6.

7.

8.

9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Justus.

Ptomanus.

Paulinus.

Ithamar.

Daniianus.

Putta.

Cuicholm.

Gebmund.

'J'oljias.

Aldulf.

Dunn.

Eardulf.

Diora.

Wermuiid.

15.

Beornmod.

16.

Burhric.

17

^Ifstan.

18.

Godwin.

19.

Godwin.

20.

Si ward.

21.

Arnost.

22.

Gundulf.

23.

Kalph. He

succeeded

An-

selm in tlie archbishopric
of Canterbury.

24.

Earwulf.

25.

Jolui.

416

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

THE NAMES OF THE BISHOPS AND ARCHBISHOPS-

CoNTLNUED.— /S'ee pp. 418 and 421, 422.

KINGDOM OF ESSEX.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of London.

1. Mellitus.

2. Cedd

3. Wine.

4. Erconwald.

5. Waldhere,

6. Inguald.

7. Ecgwulf.

8. Wighed.

9. Eadbriht.

10. Edgar.

11. Coenwalch.

12. Eadbald.

13. Heathoberht.

14. OsmuDd.

15. Etbelnotb.

16. Ceolberht.

17. Ceorulf.

18. Swithulf.

19. Heabstan.

20. Wulfsy.

21. Ethelward.

22. Ealbstan.

23. Tbeodred.

24. Wulfstan.

25. Bribthelm.

26. Dunstan.

27. Alfstan.

28. Wulfstan.

29. Alfhim.

30. Alfwy.

31. Alfward.

32. Robert.

33. William.

34. Hugh.

35. Maurice.

36. Richard.

37. Gilbert.

38. Robert.

ARCIIBISnOPS AXD BISHOPS.

417

EAST-ANGLIA.

In the roigu of Sigebert, the most Christian king of the East-
Angles, bishop Felix, a native of Burgundy, converted the East-
Angles to the faith of Christ, and becoming their first bishop
fixed his episcojml see in the city of Dunwich.

The Names of the Bishops of the East-Angles.

Felix.

3. Berhtgils, also called Boni-

Thomas.

face.
4. Bisi.

East-Anglia was

afterwards divided into two dioceses.

The Names of the Bishops

of

The Names of the Bishops of

Elmham.

Dunwich.

BeadNvine.

1. JEcca.

Northbert.

2. ^Esculf.

Heatholac.

3. Eardred.

Ethelferth.

4. Cuthwine

Lanferth.

5. Aldbert.

Ethehvulf.

6. Ecglaf.

Hunferth.

7. H eardred.

Sibba.

8. Alfhun.

Hunferth.

9. Tidferth.

Hunbryht.

10. "Wennund.

11. Wih-ed.

1.

2.
3.

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Hunb}Tht and Wilred were the bishops of the East Angles
in the reigns of Ludecan, king of Mercia, and Egbert, king of
Wessex.

1:2. Athiilf. He had the whole
of J^ast-Anglia for his see,
in the time of king Edwy,
and so had his successors.

18. Alfric.

14. Theodred.

V). Theodred.

10. Athelstan.

17. Algar.

18. Alwin.
JO. yl':ifric.

20. /Elfric.

21. Stigand; but ho was quickly

deposed, and in his stead

22. Grimkytel was elected by

bribery. He had already
two sees, Sussex and East-
Anglia; but he was after-
wards ejected, and

23. Stigand was restored.

24. yK gel mar, Stigand's brother.

25. Arfast.

26. William.

27. Herbert.

28. Everard.

29. William.

C C

418

FLORENCE OP WORCESTER.

AECHBISHOPS AND BISHOPS— Continued.

SUSSEX.

Wilfrid converted the South-Saxons to the faith of Christ, in
the reign of king Ceonwalch, and exercised the functions of a
bishojo in those parts for five years. He also sent ministers of the
Word to the Isle of Wight.

The Names of the Bishops of the South-Saxons.
1. Wilfrid.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Selsey.

Eadbert. He was abbot of
the monastery of St. Wil-
frid, the bishop ; and after-
wards, by decree of a synod,
was appointed to succeed
him as bishop of Sussex,
which before belonged to
the see of Winchester,
whereof Daniel was then,
bishop.

Eolla.

Sigga.

Aluberht.

Osa.

7. Gislhere.

8. Tota.

9. Wiothun.

10. Ethelwulf.

11. Cenred.

12. Gutheard.

13. Alfred.

14. Eadhelm.

15. Ethelgar.

16. Ordbyrht.

17. jElmar.

18. Ethelric.

19. Grimkytel.

20. Heca.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Chichester.

21. Stigand; who transferred
the bishop's seat from
Selsey to Chichester.

22. William.

23. RaliDh.

24. Sigefrid,

ARCHBISHOPS AND BISHOPS.

419

WESSEX.

SURREY ; BERKSHIRE ; SOUTHAMPTON [hANTS] ; WILTSHIRE ;
DORSETSHIRE ; SOMERSETSHIRE ; DEA'ONSHIRE.

St. Birinus was the first bishop of the West-Saxons. He was
sent to En«Tland by pope Honorius, and on his arrival, having
converted king Cynegils and liis people to the faith, and baptized
them, became sole bishop of Wessex, and fixed his episcopal seat
in the city of Dorchester.

The Names of tlie Bishops of the Cliurch of Dorchester.
1. Bii-inus.

3. Wine.

In the time of bishop
^gelberht.king Ceonwalch
divided Wessex into two
dioceses; at which iEgel-
berht was so grievously of-
fended, that he resigned his
bishopric and returned to
France, and Wine exercised
episcopal functions in both
dioceses ; but being shortly
afterwardsexpelledfromhis
see by the king, he received
the bishopric of London.

4. Leutherius was sole bishop

of the Gewissae.

5. Headdi.

St. Headdi [Chad] was
sole bishop of the Gewissae.
On his death, when Ina was
king of Wessex, Berhtwald
archbishop of Canterbury,
and Ecgwin bishop of tlie
Hwiccias, the bishopiic [of
Wessex] was divided into
two dioceses, one of wliich
was given to Daniel, and
the other to Aldhelm, a
kinsman of king Ina.

2.

^gelberht.

the Church of Winches

6.

Daniel.

7.

Hunfrith.

8.

Cynehard.

9.

Ethelhard.

10.

Ecgbald.

11.

Dudd.

12.

Cyneberht.

13.

Alhmund.

14.

Wigthein.

15.

Herefrith.

16.

Eadmund.

17.

Helmstan.

18.

Swithun.

19.

AJhfrith.

20.

Denewulf.

21.

Frith estan.

22.

By rn Stan.

23.

Elphege the Bald.

24.

^.Ifsy.

25.

Etlielwald.

26.

Elphege the Mai'tyr

27.

Kenulf.

28.

Athelwold.

29.

Alfsy.

30.

Alfvvine.

31.

Stigand.

32.

Walkelin.

33.

William.

34

Henry.

C C 2

420

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

Edward the First, king of England, and Plegmimd, archbishop
of Canterbury, wisely determined to appoint a separate bishop for
each tribe of the Gewissse, and> creating a bishopric in each, divide
what was now two dioceses into five. Having done this, Plegmund
consecrated at Canterbury seven bishops to the seven churches in
one day; namely, Frithestan to the church of Winchester; Athel-
stan to the church of Cornwall ; Werstan to the church of Sher-
borne ; Ethelhelm to the church of Wells ; Eadulf to the church
of Crediton; Bernethun for Sussex; and Kenulf to the city of
Dorchester, for the Southern Mercians.

3.
4.

5.
6.

7.

1.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Sunning.

Athelstan.

Odo. This holy man suc-
ceeded Wulfhelm in the
archbishopric of Canter-
bury,

Osulf.

Alfstan.

Alfgar.

Sigeric.

Alfric. Both these became
archbishops of Canterbury.

Bryhtwold.

Her em an.

He united the bishopric

10.
11.

of Sherborne, which he ob-
tained from king Edward,
with his original see, and
fixed the episcopal seat of
both dioceses at Sherborne;
but during the reign of
William L, by the autho-
rity of a synod and the
king's munificence, he
transferred his see to Salis-
bury.

Osmund.

Roger.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Sherborne.

Aldelm,

St. Aldelm, a kinsman
of Ina, the most loving
king of the West-Saxons,
played well upon the harp ;
was a most excellent poet,
both in the Saxon and
Latin tongues ; a skilful
chaunter; a learned doc-
tor ; an accomplished
preacher; and a marvel of
erudition, both in sacred
and profane literature. He
was first a- disciple of
the learned Maildulf, and
afterwards of archbishop
Theodore, and abbot
Adrian, his coadjutor.

While he was yet abbot of
Malmesbury, he wrote a
famous book against the
heresy of the Britons; the
perusal of which brought
many of them over to the
Catholic celebration of
Easter. He wrote also some
other works, for he was a
man of universal learning.

2. Forth ere.

3. Herewald.

4. ^thelmod.

5. Denefrith,

6. Wigberht.

7. Alhstan.

8. Heahmund.

9. ^thelheag

ARCHBISHOPS AXD BISHOPS.

421

LIST OF THE BISHOPS OF SHERBORNE— Continued.

Alfsy.

Asser.

Ethel ward.

Wei's tan.

Ethelbald.

Si<,'helin.
10. Alfred.
17. Allsy.

10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

18. Alfwold.

19. Ethel ric.
Ethelsy.
Brill twine.
jElmai'.
Byrhtwine.
iElfwold.

20
21
22
23
24

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Wells.

.^thelm.
Wulfhelm.

Both of these became
archbisho2)s of Canterbury.
Elphege.
Wulfhelm.
Brihthelm.
Cyncward.
Sigar.
Alfwine.
Livincr,

10. Ethelwine.

He was previously abbot
of Evesham.

11. Byrhtwine.

12. Byrhtwy.

13. Duduc,^ a native of Saxony.

14. Gisa.

15. John.

16. Godfrey.

17. Robert.

The Names of the Bishops of the Church of Crediton.

1.

Eadulf.

9.

Living.

2.

Ethel gar.

On the death of his uncle

He succeeded

St.

Dun-

Brihtwald, he united the

Stan in

the

archb

ishopric.

bishoprics of Cornwall and

3.

Alfwold.

Devon, by permission of

4.

Sideman.

king Edward.

5.

Alfric.

10.

Leofric.

(i.

Alfwold.

11.

Osbern.

7.

Alfwold.

12.

William.

8.

Eadnoth.

* All the MSS. and printed editions call this bishop Bodcca; but in a
charter of Kdward tlie Confe.s.sor, liis name appears latinised into Dodecca,
and in one of yEp;ehvine, as well as in the Saxon Chronicle [a.d. 1041], it is
written Diiduc Florence also calls it Duduc in this chronicle. See before,
p. IGl.

422

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

LIST OF THE AKCHBISHOPS AND BISHOPS— Continued.

HECANA.

The Names of the Bishops of the Magescetas,^ or people oj^
Herefordshire.

1. Putta.

2. Tyrhtel.

3. Torhthere.

4. Wahlstod.

5. Cuthbert.

6. Podcla,

7. Ecca.

8. Ceadda.

9. Aldberht.

10. Esne.

11. Ceolmund.

12. Utel.

13. Wulfhard.

14. Beonna,

15. Eadulf.

16. Cuthwulf.

17. Mucel.

18. Deorlaf.

19. Cynemund.

20. Eadgar.

21. Tidbelm.

22. Wulfhelm.

23. Alfric.

24. Atbulf.

25. Atbelstan.

26. Leovegar.

27. Walter.

28. Robert.

29. Gerard.

30. Reignelm.

31. Geoffrey.

32. Richard.

33. Robert.

1 The Magessetas were identical with the inhabitants of the Hwiccas, or
"Worcestershire ; the Hecanas with Herefordshire. See note, p. 32.

ARCHBISHOPS AND BISHOPS. 423

mvicciA.

How a BisJiop^s see was first established at Worcester.

"SVulfar, the illustrious king of !Mercia, the first of the Mercian
kings who embraced the faith of Chnst, having been succeeded by
his brother, the glorious king St. Ethelred, the sub-khig of the
Hwiceia's, Oshere, a most praiseworthy man, being desirous that
Hwiccia, which he governed with royal authority, sliould have the
honour and dignity of possessing a bishop of its own, gave him
[Ethelred] the sound advice, and added his own earnest request, that
he would add to the splendour and exalt the dignity of his kingdom
[Mercia], which then held the first rank among the Anglo-Saxon
kingdoms, by increasing the number of its bishops, as he knew
some kings of England had formerly done in like circumstances.
The king, having already entertained an ardent desire of doing
the very same thing, presently yielded to his instances and good
counsels, and sending for Theodore, the archbishop of Canterbuiy,
requested him to divide the kingdom into a greater number of
dioceses, and appoint bishops in suitable places.

Tlie archbishop, heartily approving the king's excellent design,
lost no time in carrying it into execution; so that in the year of
our Lord 701, according to the gospel, but in the year 679, ac-
cording to Dionysius, whose erroneous calculation is still followed
by holy church, he, with the consent of the king and his nobles,
divided the bishopric of which Saxwulf had the episcopal charge
into five dioceses.

Inasmuch, therefore, as the city of Worcester had been in
the times when the IJritons, and afterwards the Romans, were
masters of Britain, and still was, the well-known capital of the
Hwiccias or Magasaetas, he very properly fixed the seat of a
bishop in that city, making Hwiccia the first of the newly-divided
dioceses. Tatfrith, a man distinguished for his vigour of mind
and deep learning, was removed from the monastery of the abbess
Hilda, and chosen for bishop; hut he was snatched away by a
premature death before he could be ordained.

II. The second diocese was that which belongs to the see of
Li tell field, of which Cuthwine, a religious and modest man, was
made bisliop.

III. The tliird included ^lid-Anglia, whicrh the before-mentioned
bishop, Saxwulf, chose for his own see, fixing his episcopal seat
in the city of Leicester.

IV. 1'he fourth included the province of Lindsey, over which
the archbishop placed Kthehvine, a holy man, the brother of
St. Aldwin, abbot of the monastery called Piirt(>ney, and fixed the
city called Sidnacester for the scat of his bishopric.

424

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

V. South-Anglia was the fifth of the new dioceses, to which he
preferred as bishop, Eata, a man of singular worth and sanctity,
from tiie monastery of abbess Hilda, ah-eady mentioned, and ap-
pointed the town of Dorchester to be the seat of his bishopric.

Further: Bosel, a venerable man, was chosen to supply the
place of Tatfrith; and, having been ordained bishop by arch-
bishop Theodore at the same time as the rest, fixed his episcopal
see in the aforesaid city of Worcester, which was at that time
siuTounded by lofty walls, and embellished by noble fortifications,
sm'passing many other cities in beauty and stateliness.

The Names of the Bishops of the Hwiccias.

1. Bosel.

2. Oftfor.

3. Ecgwine.

4. Wilfrid.

5. Milred.

6. Wermund.

7. Tilhere.

8. Heathored.

9. Deneberht.

10. Heaberht.

11. Alhwine.

12. Wereferth.

13. Ethelhun.

14. Wilferht.

15. K in e wold.

16. Dunstan.

17. Oswald.

18. Aldulf.

19. Wulfstan.

20. Leofsy.

21. Brihteag.

22. Living.

23. Aldred.

24. Wulfstan.

25. Samson.

26. Teowulf.

27. Simon.

28. John.

ARCHBISUOPS AND BISUOPS.

425

MERCIA.

[the first bishops among the MERCIANS AND IN THE
ADJOINING DISTRICTS.]

When Penda, the heathen king of the ^fercians, was slain,
and Oswy, tlie Christian king, occupied his kingdom, converting
tlie people of Mercia and the neighbouring provinces to the faith
of Christ, in the year of our I^ord 050, Diuma was made the first
bishop of the ^Mercians, the !Mid- Angles, the Lindisfari, and the
adjacent districts ; the second was Ceollach (both of these were
Scots) ; tiie third was Trumhere, the first bishop under king Wulf-
here; Jaruman was the fourth; the fifth was Ceadda, whose epis-
copal see was fixed at a j)]ace called Licetfeld (Litchfield), which
was made their seat by all subsequent bishops of that province;
the sixth was Winfrid ; and the seventh was Saxwulf. The five
last were Englishmen.

1. Diuma.

2. Ceollah.

3. Trumhere.

4. Jaruman.

The Names of the Bishops of Litchfield.

5.

Ceadda.

17.

Hunberht.

6.

Winfrid.

18.

Cyneferht.

7.

Saxulf.

19.

Tunberht.

After Saxulf, the

pro-

He held the see in the

vince of Mercia had

two

time of Burhred king of

bishops, Headda and Wil-

Mercia, and Alfred king of

frid.

Wessex.

8.

Headda.

20.

Alfgar.

9.

Aldwin, who was

also

21.

Cynsy.

bishop of Worcester.

22.

Wynsy.

The province was

now

23.

iEelfeg.

divided again into

two

24.

Godwin.

dioceses.

25.

Leofgai*.

10.

TTuita.

26.

J^rihtmar.

11.

Ilcmele.

27.

Wulsy.

li>.

Cutlifrith.

28.

Leofwine.

\2.

JU;rhtun.

29.

Peter.

in.

Mighrriit.

30.

Robert of Limesey.

It.

Aldulf.

31.

Kobert Peche.

15.

J fere wine.

82.

Eoger de Clinton.

10.

Ethehvald.

33.

Walter.

i2Q

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

MID-ANGLIA.

The Names of the Bishops of Leicester.^

" 1. Cuthwine.

2. Wilfrid.

3. Aldwin.

Wilfrid, bishop of Hexham, having been expelled from his
bishopric, received the see of Leicester from king Ethelred ; but
was soon afterwards ejected, and Headda governed both dioceses.
Aldwin, his successor, also held both sees.

1. Totta.2

2. Eadberht.

3. Unwona.

4. Werenberbt.

5. Eethune.

6. Aldred.

7. Ceolred.

He was bishop in the
time of Burhred king of
Mercia, and Alfred king of
Wessex.

8. Leofwine.

He governed the united
dioceses of Leicester and
the Lindisfari, in the reign
of Edgar, king of England.

9. ^Inoth.
10. jEscwy.

He assisted St. Oswald
by his ministration when

11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

16.
17.

18.
19.
20.

he consecrated the monas-
tery of Ramsey, which had
been built from the foun-
dation by him and Ethel-
wine, ealdorman of East-
Anglia.

Alfhelm.

Eadnoth.

iEtheric.

Eadnoth.^

Ulf.

He was speedily ejected.

Wulfwy.

Remigius.

He transferred the see
to Lincoln."*

Robert.

Alexander.

Robert.

1 Leicester was made an episcopal see by archbishop Theodore at the
synod of Hatfield, in 680.

2 Totta, though here reckoned the first bishop of Leicester, can only be
regarded as such after the second separation of that see from Litchfield.

3 F]orence gives this list the title of " Bishops of Leicester;" but all the
later bishops, till Remigius, had their see at Dorchester. The Saxon Chro-
nicle expressly places, at least, the three preceding ones there. The see of
Dorchester, now a small town, eight miles from Oxford, was founded by
Cynegils in 634. Birinus, the first bishop, and uEgelberht, his successor, are
named by Florence (p. 419), but he then drops the succession. In the list
of bishops, p. 460, he says that it was restored in the time of Edward the
Elder.

* See before, p. 194.

ARCHBISnOPS AND BISHOPS.

427

LINDSEY.

Ecgfrid, king of the Northumbrians, having routed in battle
Wulfhere, king of ^fercia, seized the province of Lindsey, and
expelled tlie bishop, Saxwulf, from it. In his place Eathed, a chap-
lain of king Ecgfrid's, was ordained by archbishop Theodore as
the iirst separate bishop of that province, in the year of our Lord
(578. But as l^thelred, king of Mercia, recovered tlie j^rovince by
the fortune of war in the succeeding year, Eathed resigned his
bishopric and returned to Northumbria, and was aftenvards made
bishoj) of Ripon by archbishop Theodore. After his departure,
king Ethelred, at the suggestion of Oshere, king of the Hmccas,
requested archbishop Theodore to divide his kingdom into a greater
number of dioceses, and to appoint bishops in suitable places.
Heartily approving this design, he divided the bishopric of Saxwulf
into five dioceses, to which he afterwards added a sixth.

The Names of the Bishops of the Lindisfan.

1. Eathed.

2. Ethelwine,

3. Eadgar.

4. Cynebyrht.

5. Alowioch.
0. Ealdulf
7. Ceolwulf.

8. Ealdulf.

9. Brihtred.

He was bishop in the
time of Burhred king of
^lercia, and Alfred king of
Wessex.

4:28 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

DEIKA.

The Names of the Archbishops and Bishops of the Northumbrians.

OF ST. PAULINUS.

Paulinus, a man beloved of God, who was ordained bishop by
archbishop Justus, having converted Edwin, king of the Northum-
brians, and all his people, to the faith of Christ, had York appointed
for his episcopal see. But the king having been slain, and the
affairs of Northumbria thrown into disorder, Paulinus returned to
Kent, and being honourably received by archbisbop Honorius and
king Eadbald, on their invitation accepted the bishopric of his
church of Rochester, void by the death of Romanus; where he
died, and left the pallium which he had received from pope
Honorius.

ARCUBISnOPS AXD BISHOPS.

429

The Names of the Archbishops of York.

1 Paiilinus.

2. CeacWa. [Chad.]

St. Chad, after governing
the church of York for
three yeai'S, retired to the
superinteudence of his
nionasteiy of Lastingham,
leanng Wilfrid to act as
bishop, not only of the
chuix'h of York, but also
of the whole of the North-
umbrians and the Picts.
Wilfrid being ejected by
king Ecgfrid, two bishops
■were consecrated by arch-
bishop Theodore in his
stead ; Bosa for the church
of Y''ork, and Eata for the
church of Hexham. Three
years after Wilfrid's resig-
nation, he added two more
bishops ; Eata for Lindis-
fanie (Tunberht continuing
at Hexham), and Trum-
■wine for the province of the
Picts. Eathed having come
back from Liudsey, he
made him bisliop of llipon.
Tunberht having been de-
posed, Eata returned to the
see of Hexham, and Cuth-

bert was prefen'ed to the
church of Lindisfame.
After a long exile, Wilfrid
was received again as
bishop of Hexham. On
the death of Bosa, he was
succeeded at York by John.

3. Bosa.

4. John.

5. Wilfrid.
C. Egbert.

7. Coena.

8. Eanbakl.

9. Eanbald.

10. Wulfsy.

11. Wigmund.

12. Wulfhere.

13. Ethelbald.

14. Bodeward.

15. W^ilfstan.
10. Oskytel.

17. Oswald.

18. Aldulf.

19. W^ulfstan.

20. Aelfi-ic.

21. Kinsy.

22. Aldred.

23. Thomas.

24. Gerard.

25. Thomas.
"26. Thurstan.

The Names of the Bishops of Ripon.
I. Eathed,

430

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

The Names of the Bishops of Hexham

1. Wilfrid.

2. Eata.

3. Tunberbt.

4. Eata.

5. Jobn.

6. Wilfrid.

7. Acca.

8. Fritbeberiit.

9. Albmnnd.

10. Tillberiit.

11. Etbelberht.

12. Heardred.

13. Eanberht.

14. Tidferiit.

BERNICIA.

Concerning Saint Aldan.

St. Aidan baving been ordained and sent forth by the Scots,
preacbed tbe word of faitb in the provinces under tbe rule of king
Oswald, and obtained from tbat king a seat for a bisbopric in tbe
island of Lindisfarne, according to bis request. On bis deatb,
Finan, wbo was also ordained and sent by tbe Scots, was appointed
bisbop in bis stead ; and on bis decease be was succeeded by
Colman, wbo also was sent by tbe Scots. Colman baving resigned
tbe bisbopric and returned to bis own country, Tuda, anotber
bisbop of Scottish ordination, filled bis place in tbe see of Lindis-
farne ; and wben be died, tbat bisbopric was divided into two
dioceses, Ceadda being ordained to tbe church of York, and Wilfrid
to the church of Hexham.

TJie Names of the Bishops of Lindisfarne.

1. Aidan.

2. Finan.

3. Colman.

4. Tuda.

5. Eata.

6. Cuthberbt.

7. Eadberbt.

8. Eadferbt.

9. Eihelwold.

10. Cynewulf.

11. Higbald.

12. Ecgbert.

13. Eardulf.

14. Cuthbeard.

15. Tilred.

16. Wigred.

17. Uhtred.

18. Sexbelm.

19. Aldred.

20. Alfsy.

21. Aldbun.

22. Eadmund.

23. Edred.

24. ^tbelric.

25. iEtbelwine.

26. Walchere.

27. Wilham.

28. Ralph.

ARCUBisnors and bishops.

431

THE TERRITORY OE THE PICTS.

Tlie Names of the Bisliops of Whitheme.

1. Tnimwine.

2. Pehthehn.

3. Frithowald.

4. Peh twine.

5. Ethelbert.

6. Beaclulph.

7. Heatliored.

4S2

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

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GENEALOGIES. 433

THE GENEALOGY OF THE ENGLISH KINGS FROM WODEN.

THE GENEALOGY OF THE KINGS OF KENT.

WODEN.

Wehta.

Witta,

"Wihtffils.

HENGEST.
Ocga, or Oric.
Oesa, or Oic.

Eormenric.

I

Horsa.

RigulaA

Sceherht.

Ethelbyrht = Bercta.

Eadbald = Emme.

Ethelberga, also
called Tate.

Oslava = Eormenred.

Erconberht = Sexburh.

Eanswitha.

yrmenbeorga.

Eormenhurga. Ecgbyrht.

Eorcongota. Eormengild.

Trmengitha.

Etheldritha.

Ethelred. Etkelberht.

Lothere.

Eadric.

Wihtred.

Ethelberht.

Eadbcrlit, also called Pren.

Cuthred.

Baldred.

' Name« of the younger branches are printed in italics, to distinguish them from the kings
queens.

D D

434

FLORENCE OP WORCESTER.

THE GENEALOGY OF THE KINGS OF THE
EAST-ANGLES.

Eni.

WODEN.

Casere.

Tytmon.

Tirygils.

Hrothmund.

Hryp.

Wilhelm.

Wewa, or Wehlia.

WUFFA.

Tytla.

Eedwald.

Eorpwald.
Sigeberht.

Ecgrig.

Eeginhere.

I
Anna.
I

Etheihere = Hereswitli.

Ethelwold.

Sexburh.

Ethelhurh.

Aldwlf.

Alfwold.
Beorna.
Ethelred == Leofruna.

Etheldryih.

Wihtburga.

Ethelbert.
Eadmund.

J

GENEALOGIES.

435

THE GENEALOGY OF THE KINGS OF THE
EAST-SAXONS.

Scexa.
Sigejerhi.
Seleferht,
Sigehald.

WODEN.

I
Seaxnete.

I
Gesecg.

Antsecg.

I
Swasppa.

SigefugeL

Bedca.

Offa.

I

wEsCWINE.

I

Sledda = Eigula.

Saeberht.

Sexred-

Sigcbcrht.

I

Sigeberht.

I

I
Swithelrn.

Sajbbi.

Offa.

Scelrcd.

Saeward.

Siffhere.

Sigheard. Swefred.

Sw'ithhsed.

I .
Sigeric.

I
Sigencd.

D D 2

436 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

THE GENEALOGY OF THE MERCIAN KINGS.

WODEN.

I
Weolthelgeat.

I
Waga.

I
Wihtlffig.

Wermund.

I

Offa.i

I
Angengeat.

I
Eomer.

IcU.

I

Cnebba.

I

Cynewald.

Creoda.

I
Pybba.*

* See the following page.

I " These descendants of Woden appear to have reigmed over the continental
Anseln, a name now limited to the territory between Fiens'oorg and Slesvig. The
sixth on the list, viz. Otfa (Uffo) the son of \Vermund, was blind till his seventh, and
dumb till his thirteenth year ; and though excelling: in bodily strength, was so simple
and pusillanimous, that all hope that he would ever prove himself worthy of his
station was abandoned. A resemblance to his Anglian ancestor in some or all of these
respects seems to have induced the cotemporariesof the youn? Winefrith 'for such we
are told was the original name of the great INIercian king) to call him a second Otfa;
though the arithor of the Vita Otfse II. ap. Matt., Paris, (edit. VVatts,) seems to have
supposed that the first, or Anglian Offa, likewise ruled in England. Creoda was pro-
ba^ily ihe founder of the English kingdom of Mercia. See a Saga of the Anglian
Offa in Beowulf, p. 25S, and 11, p. xxxii. sq. He is also celebrated in the tale of the
Scop or 13ard. Cjd. Exon. p 320. See a'so Lappenberg's England, 1, pp. 227,
228, and the places there cited." — Thorpe,

GENEALOGIES. 437

THE GENEALOGY OF THE MERCIAN KINGS— Continued.

Pybba.
I

CemDalh.

Eot'menbeorga==

MUdthnth.

lldh

MUdhurh.

Mildyith.

Merefin.

Penda = C^iieswitha.

Eowa.

; Merewald.

I
Merchelm.

dical

Cudicalk.

I
Centwine.

Cynreou.

I
Bassa.

I
Cuthbert.

Elfleda -n Wigmund.
Wistan.

^ulf

Wulfhere=Eormenffild

I
Cynesicitha. Ethelred =

Cenred.

I
Werehurga.

Ostryth.

Peada

Alhfleda.

Cyneburqa.

Ceolred,

Ahcih.

Ethelbald.
Beomred.

Osmod.
Eanwulf.
Thyncferth.

I
OfFa = Kynethrith.

Ecffferht.

Eadburh,

Coen\\nilf = CElfthn-th.

JEJfthryth.

Kenelm.

Quenihryth.

I
Ceolwlf.

Burgenhild.

Beomwlf.
Ludecan.
Wiglaf = Cynethryth.

Beorhtwlf ^ Sa;tlirytli.

Burlired = Ethelswith.

Ceolwlf.

Berhiferth.

438

FLORENCE OF WORCESTER,

THE GENEALOGY OF THE KINGS OF NOETHUMBKIA.

WODEN.

1

Waegdeag.

1
Bseldoag.

Siggaer.

Brand.

1

Swebdseg.

Beom.
i

Siggset.

1

1
Siebald.

Beomd.

1

Frothegar.

Saefugel.

Wsegbrand.

Freawine.

SWserta.

Ingebrand,

„ 1

Alusa.

Wig.

Seomel.

1

1

"Westorwalcna.

Angengeat.

Gewis.

Wilgels.

Ingengeat.

Esta.

Wysefrea.

Ethelbryht.

Oesa.

t

Elesa.

Eoppa.

He begat Yffi, the

He begat Ida,

He begat Ceedic,

father of Ealle, the first

the first king of the

the first king of the

king of the Deiri.

Bernicians.

West-Saxons.

I

GENEALOGIES.

439

THE GENEALOGY OF THE KINGS OF NORTIIUMBRIA.— Continued.

TFFI.

IDA.
t

^H/rie.

^Ue.

Adda.
Clappa.
Theodwlf.
Freothulf.

Theodrio.

Bealric.

Ecca.

Sogothere.

Theodhere.

Ethelric.
I

Ostnar,

Occa,

Theodbald.

Ethel frith

=Acna

Eanfrith. Oslaf. Oslac.
Qaenburh=ED"WmE =Ethelburga.

Offa.

Oswudu. ^1

bbe.

Osric O^rith. Eadlrith.

Etheihun.

Wuscfrea,

eldr

Etheldryth.

Iffi. Heretic = Beorhtswith.

mid.

Jleresuith.

Oswald.

I

Oswine.

Ethelwald.

08wy=Ejuifleda.

Edel

Oswald

I
Sogor,

Alrie.

m. Blescman.

Ecgtcnld,

Leodicald.

EcgMth.

Alhfrith-
Osred.

.Slftoine.

Ostryth

Alhfleda.

JEtheldrytha.
Cijneburga,

JElfleda.

Bova.

Bymhom

tiwin

Cuthwine

Cynred.
Osric.

Eata.

Ceolwl£

Eadbryht
ObwH

Moll, alflo called Ethel wold.

^1

Alhred.
I

Eanurine.

Ethclred, also called Ethelbert
Alfwold.

Oared.

Ethelbert, again.

Oabald.

Eadwll

44:0 FLORENCE OP WORCESTER.

THE GENEALOGY OF THE KINGS OF THE LINDISFAKI.

WODEN.

Winta.

Cretta.

Queldgils.

Csedbaed.
^ I
Bubba.

Beda.

Biscop.

Ean^erth.
^ I
Eatta.

Ealdfrith.

GENEALOGIES.

441

THE GENEALOGY OF THE KINGS OF WESSEX.

CERDIC.i
Cynric.

Cuthwlf. Cuiha. Ceaulin

Cutha.

Cutkmne.

Cuthgils.

Cynegils.

Cutha.

Ceadda.

Cenferth. Cuichelm. Coenwalch = Sexburh.

Cenfus. Cutkred.

iEscwine.

Coelwald.

Cenberkt.

Centwine.

I

Ceadwalla.

Cenred.

3MI.

Ina.

Imjels. Cuth

iEthelhard.

Eoppa.

Eaica.
1

Cuthred.

Sigberht.

1
Alhmund.

Cynewlf.

Bryhtric=Eadburh.

ourh.

Cynebald.

Ethelbald.

Oswald.

Cwenburh.

1 Cenllc's descent from Woden, through the yonnpcr branch of the royal line of Northum-
ria, 13 shown in their gcnealoify. See before, i)age 438.

442 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

THE GENEALOGY OF THE KINGS OF WESSEX— Continued.
EGBRYHT.
Ethelwulf = Osburh.

Ethelbald.

Ethelbert.

Ethered.

Alfred = Ealhswith.

I III

Ecgwyn=Edward=Eadgiva. Ethel- Ethel- jElf-

Jiede.

geova.

1

Athelstan.

1

Edwine.

Eadl

1
Edraund=

=Elf

giva.

1
Eadred.

Eadwig.

JEthel-
ward.

burh.

Wulj thryth='EDGAn^'E]fiith.

Edgith.

Edward. 1

Edmund.

Elfgitha=Et]ielred=Elfgiva, or Emma.

Eadwy. Eadgith.

Edmund. Alfred. Goda.

Athelstan,

Edward.

Edmund.

EDWARD=Edgith.
1 The mother of Edward was Ethelfleda the Fair, surnamed Eneda, i.e. the Duck.

KINGDOMS OF THE IIEPTARC'IIY. 443

ON THE GENEALOGY OF THE KINGS OF KENT.

The Anglo-Saxons, on the invitation of the Britons, in the time
of the emperor Marciati,^ came over to Britain in three ships,
under colour of defending the country, but, in reality, intending
to subdue it. Hengist and Horsa were tlieir first chiefs ; of whom
Horsa was slain in battle by the Britons, but Horsa, having gained
the victory, began to reign in the year of our Lord 455, and became
the first English king of Kent,

St. Augustine, having been sent by pope St. Gregory, converted
Ethelbert, king of Kent, to the faith of Christ, in the year of our
Lord 597, and the thirty-fifth of his reign. He built the church
of the apostles SS. Peter and Paul near the east side of the city of
Canterbury, and enriched it with offerings of various kinds. He
also erected the church of St. Paul the apostle, in the city of
London, and the church of St, Andrew the apostle, in the city of
Bochester. He gave many gifts to the bishops of both these
churches, as well as to the archbishop of Canterbury, and, besides,
endowed them with lands and possessions for the use of their clergy.

His queen Bertha was the daughter of the kings of the Franks ;2
and their daughter St. Ethelburga became the queen of Edwin,
king of the Northumbrians, and built a monastery at a place called
Limene, and lies buried there, Rigula,^ sister of king Ethel-
bert, was queen of the East-Saxons, and mother of St. Saeberht,
king of that province. King Ethelbert, departing this life in the
fifty-sixth year of his reign,"* ascended to the kingdom of heaven.

His son Eadbald succeeded him; who, studying to promote the
welfare of the church in all things to the best of his power,
endeavoured to live in submission to the divine commands. His
queen, Emma, was the daughter of the king of the Franks; their
daughter, St. Eanswitha, lies buried at a place called Folcestan,
and their son was the sub-king Eormenred, whose queen Oslava
bore him four daughters and two sons — namely, St. Ermenbeorg,
who was the queen of Merewald, king of the West-Angles, St.
Eormenburg, St. Etheldryth, St. Eormengith, and SS. Ethelred
and Ethelberht, martyrs, who suffered martyrdom at the house of
Thunor, the lieutenant of Egbert, king of Kent, by his command.

King Eadbald died in the twenty-fifth year of his reign,^ and
left his son Erconberht his successor. He was the first of the
English kings who ordered idols to be destroyed in his kingdom,
and the fast of forty days to bo kept. His queen, St. Sexburg,
daughter of Anna, king of the East-Angles, built for him a monas-

^ See note p. 3, ^ She -was a daughter of Chnribert, king of Paris.

' In the Saxon Chronicle her name is written Ricole.

* A.D. 616. » A.D. G40.

444 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

tery in Sheppey. St. Eorcongote, the daughter of king Erconherht
and St. Sexburg, being sent to France, served God to the end of
her days under her maternal aunt St. Ethelburg, in the monastery
of Brie.i and lies buried there. Their other daughter, St. Eor-
mengild, was the queen of "Wulfhere, king of Mercia.

King Erconherht died in the twenty-fourth year^ of his reign,
leaving his royal throne to his son Egbert, who departing this life
in the month of July, in the ninth year of his reign,^ was succeeded
in his kingdom by his brother Lothere. This king having been
wounded in a battle with the South Saxons, assembled to oppose
him under Eadric, Egbert's son, in the twelfth year of his reign,^
died in the month of February, while his wounds were healing.
Edric, the son of his brother Egbert, succeeded to his kingdom,
and reigned one year and a half; and his brother Wihtred suc-
ceeding him built the church of St. Martin at Dover.

King Wihtred died in the thirty-fourth year of his reign,^ leaving
his son Ethelbert heir to his kingdom ; and he dying in the
thirty-sixth year of his reign^ was succeeded by his brother Ead-
berht, surnamed Pren, who was seized and carried off into Mercia
by Kenulf, king of the Mercians, when he ravaged Kent. Eadberht
was succeeded by Cuthred, who died in the ninth year of his
reign,^ and was succeeded by Baldred. In the year of our Lord,
according to Dionysius, 823, Baldred was expelled from his king-
dom by Egbert, king of the West-Saxons. Up to this time, for
three hundred and sixty eight years, the kingdom of Kent had
been independent, but afterwards it was subject to the dominion
of Wessex.

THE ORIGIN OF THE EAST-ANGLIAN KINGS.

The kingdom of East-Anglia took its rise after that of Kent,
and before that of Sussex. It was under the rule of powerful
kings, but Kedwald was more powerful than any of the others ;
for all the southern provinces of the Angles and Saxons, as far as

1 Brie was the name of a large tract of forest extending in the middle ages
between the Seine and the Marne. The monastery called Farmoutier-en-
Brie, so called from its foundress, St. Fara, a Northumbrian saint, was built
about the year 616, and at first followed the rule of St Columban. Farmou-.
tier stands on the Morine, a small river which falls into the Marne, near
Coulommiers. ^ ^.d. 664. ^ a.d. 673.

^ A.D. 685. See Henry of Huntingdon, p. 113. — Antiq. Lib.
5 A.D. 725. 6 A.D. 760.

7 796. See the note in p. 140 of Henry of Huntmgdon. 8 ^.d. 805.

KINGDOMS OP THE HEPTARCHY. 445

the river TTiimber, witli their kings, were subject to him. He
slew Ethelfritli, king of Deira and I3ernicia, in a battle- in which
his own son Ueiuhere was killed ;* and aided P^dwin, the son of
QLUh, in securing tlie throne. His other son, Eorpwald, succeeded
him in the kingdom [of Kast-Anglia], and at king Edwin's instance,
received the faith of Christ with all his people. Soon afterwards
he was slain in battle by a heathen named Righert, and was suc-
ceeded by Sigebert, his brother on the mother's side. Sigebert
gave possessions to St. Fursey, who came to him from Ireland ;
and assigned him a site for building a monastery in a certain
fortress called in the English tongue Cnobbheres-burh,^ and after-
wards abdicating his kingdom, for love of the kingdom of heaven,
gave it up to his cousin Ecgrig, and became a monk in the monas-
tery he had founded, A long time afterwards he was reluctantly
induced to be present at a battle with Penda, king of Mercia, for
the purpose of encouraging the troops; but mindful of his pro-
fession, and carrying only a staff in his hand, he was slain, together
with king Ecgrig.

Anna, the son of Eni, who was the brother of Tledwald, succeeded
them as king ; and his daughter St. Sexbm-g was married to
Erconberht, king of Kent. Another daughter, St. Ethelburg,
became abbess of the monastery of Brie in France. The third,
St. lOlheldrith, was, first, queen of the Northumbrians, and after-
wards abbess of Ely. The fourth, St. Wihtburg, was a nun in
tlie same monastery. Their father Anna having been slain by
Penda, king of Mercia, left his brother Ethelhere heir to his
kingdom. He had by his queen St. Hereswith, sister of the abbess
Hilda, two sons, Aldulf and Alfwold. He was slain in a battle
between Oswy and king Penda: ^ his brother Ethelvvold succeeded
him, and at his death, Aldulf became king, and reigned several
years. After Aldulf's death, his brother Alfwold succeeded to
the government of the kingdom.

During the reign of OfFa, king of the Mercians, Beorna reigned
in East-Anglia, and after him Ethelrcd, whose son, St. Ethelberht,
was born of his queen Leofruna. He held the kingdom of East-
Anglia for a short time only after his father,"* for he was slain
without cause by Ofi'a, king of Mercia, in the time of peace.
Thenceforth, for sixty-one years, very few powerful kings reigned
in East-Anglia, until St. Edmund, the last of them, ascended the
throne ; and he was martyred in the sixteenth year of his reign
by the heathen king Hinguar,^

From that time the xVnglo- Saxons ceased to reign in P'.ast-
Anglia for nearly fifty years. During full nine years it had no
king at all, being abandoned to the ravages and utter devastation

' A.n. C17. 2 TJuff^h Ca.stle in Suffolk, the Garianonnm of the Romans.
3 A.n. G55. * A D. 7'J3. » a.u. 870.

446 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

of the Pagan Danes, who tried at that time to reduce the whole of
England to subjection. After that, the Danish king Guthrum
reigned there,^ and over nearly all Essex, during twelve years ;
and then Eohric, who was slain in battle by the English, reigned
fourteen years.^ Subsequently, both provinces were under the
oppressive yoke of Danish earls, until king Edward the Elder,
after slaying many of them, and driving others beyond sea, accepted
the submission of the rest, and annexed both kingdoms to that of
Wessex.3

ESSEX.

Like the kingdom of East-Anglia, so also the kingdom of Essex
was founded subsequently to the kingdom of Kent ; and the kings
of Essex were nearly always subject to other kings, and most com-
monly, and for the longest periods, to those of Mercia. Before
the time of Ssebert, the nephew of Ethelbert, king of Kent, by his
sister Rigula, they were devoted to the worship of devils ; but he
was the first to embrace the word of truth, on the preaching of
Mellitus ; which his people then received. Departing to the
heavenly kingdom, he left his sons, Sexred and Saeward, who
persevered in idolatary, heirs of his earthly kingdom .^ They
were shortly afterwards killed in battle by the West-Saxons, and
were succeeded by Sigebert, surnamed the Little, son of Sseward ;
and on his death, Sigebert, the son of Sigebald, succeeded to the
government of the kingdom. On the exhortations of Oswy, king
of Northumbria, he believed in Christ, and was baptised by bishop
Finan in Northumbria,^ and during his reign, the East-Saxons,
on the preaching of St. Cedd, the bishop, returned to the faith
from which they had departed.

A long time afterwards he was slain by his own kinsmen, be-
cause, in compliance with the evangelical precepts, he was too
ready to j)ardon his enemies, and bore with equanimity the in-
juries he received from them. He was succeeded by his brother
Swithelm, who was baptised by Cedd himself in East Anglia; and
after his death, Sebbi, the son of Seeward, the son of St. Sebert,
the king, and Sighere, the son of king Sigebert, the Little, took
the reins of government. After Sighere's death, Sebbi became
(sole) king; but in the thirtieth year of his reign he took the
monastic habit at the hands of Waldhere, bishop of London, and
dying soon afterwards went to the heavenly kingdom. His sons,
Sigheard and Swefred reigned in his stead ; and after their death.

1 A.D. 880. 2 ^,j)^ 905. 3 A.D. 918.

* A.D. 610. 5 A.D. 653.

KINGDOMS OF THE HEPTARCnY. 447

Offa, the son of Sighere, was raised to the throne. Tn the prime
of youth and beauty, when his people had indulged in fond hopes
that he would long hold and maintain the sceptre of the kingdom,
lie quitted his country and kingdom for the gospel's sake, by the
exhortation and persuasion of his beloved St. Kineswith, daughter
of Peuda. king of Mercia, and in company with Cenred, king of
the Mercians, and Ecgwine, bisliop of the Hwiccias, went to Rome.^
where he received the tonsure, and, ending his days in the mo-
nastic habit, attained to the vision of the blessed apostles, which
he had long desired. He was succeeded in his kingdom by Selred,
son of king Sigebert; and on his being slain in the thirty-eighth
year of his reign,- Swithred ascended the throne of the kingdom,
and held it for several years.

After his death,^ the kingdom of Essex had very few kings of
its own ; for in the same year in which the kingdom of Kent came
to an end, the EastSaxons, as well as the Kentishmen and the
South-Saxons, made their voluntary submission to Egbert, the
powerful king of Wessex, and [the East-Saxons] remained subject
to his government until the Danish king, Guthrum, reduced them
to subjection. London, however, with the adjacent territory, was
under the rule of the kings of Mercia as long as they continued
to reign.

MERCIA.

Next to the kingdom of Kent succeeded the establishment of
the kingdom of the Mercians, who, while, with their kings, they
were for many years sunk in idolatry, extended the frontiers of
their kingdom by slow degrees. Penda, who commenced his
reign in the year of our Lord 020 (according to the reckoning of
Dionysius), enlarged it beyond any of his predecessors; for he
slew in battle two kings of Northumbria, St. Edwin and St.
Oswald, and three kings of East-Anglia, namely, St. Sigebert,
Ecgrig, and Anna. His queen, Cyncswith, bore him five sons,
namely, Peada, Wulfhere, St Ethered, St. Merewald, and St.
Mercelm ; and two daughters, St. Cyneburg and St. Cyneswith.
He reigned not quite thirty years.'* Oswy, king of Northumbria,
slew him in battle with thirty of his chiefs, and reduced his
kingdom under his own dominion. J3ut he gave the kingdom of
the East-Mercians to Peada, Penda's son, who, having been
entrusted by his father with the government of the Mid-Angles,
was baptised in Northumbria by bishop Einan; for Peada was

»A.D. 708. 2A.D. 74G. 3^u. 823. < a.d. 656.

448 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

his relation, having married his daughter Ahlfleda; hut he was
foully slain in the first year of his reign.^

Three years after the murder of king Penda, the Mercian chiefs
raised to the throne his son Wulf here, bravely recovering their
independence and territories. He was the first of the kings of
Mercia who received the washing of regeneration ; and he married
St. Eorraengild, the daughter of Erconberht, king of Kent, and
his queen St. Sexberg, and had by her Cenred, and Werburg, a
most holy virgin. His brother, St. Merewald, king of the West-
Hecanas, married St. Eormenbeorg, daughter of the sub-king
Eormenred, king Erconberht's brother, and had by her three
daughters, namely, St. Mildburg, St. Mildryth, and St. Mildgith;
and one son, St. Merefin. On his death, his brother Mercelm
reigned in his stead: their sister Cyneburg was married to Alfrid,
king of Northumbria. Withdrawing, for the love of God, from
connubial intercourse, she became a nun in the monastery founded
by her brothers, Wulfhere and Ethelred, and which was called
after her, Cyneburg's castle : her sister Cyneswith also became a
nun in the same monastery.

King Wulfhere died in the seventeenth year of his reign,^ and
was succeeded by his brother St. Ethelred, who married Ostrith,
sister of Ecgfrid, king of Northumbria, by whom he had a son
named Ceolred. Ethelred becoming a monk in the thirtieth year
of his reign,3 resigned his kingdom to his nephew Cenred, who,
retiring from secular affairs, went to Rome, and there ended his
days in the monastic habit. He was succeeded by Ceolred,"* son
of his uncle Ethelred, who died in the ninth year of his reign.
Ethelbald, the son of Alwig, who was son of Eowa, king Penda's
brotlier, was Ceolred's successor.^ The tyrant Beornred slew him
in Secges-wald in the forty-first year of his reign, and usurped
his kingdom ; his corpse was carried to Repton and royally
buried. In the same year his cousin, OfFa, nephew of Eanwulf
and son of Thingferht, slew in battle Beornred, the usurper of his
kingdom, and reigned in his stead.^ His queen Cynethrith bore
him two daughters, namely, Eadburg, who married Brihtric, king
of Wessex, and Elfryth, who remained a virgin ; and one son,
Ecgferht. He died in the thirty-ninth year of his reign,'' and
was succeeded by his son Ecgferht, who died the same year.

Ecgferht was succeeded by the illustrious Kenulf, the son of
Cuthbert, who was grandson in the third degree of king Pybba.
His qneen Alfrith bore him two daughters, Quendryth and Bur-
genild ; and St. Kenelm. Departing in the twenty-fourth year of
his reign,^ he was buried at Winchcomb, and left his son, St.
Kenelm, heir to his kingdom; but he was murdered the same year

1 A.D. 659. 2 A.D. G75. 3 A.D. /04. " a.d. 708.

5 A.D. 716. 6 ^D. 755. 7 A,D. 794. s ^.u. 819.

KLXGDOMS OF THE IIEPTAKCIIY. 440

throngli the intrigues of his sister, Quendryth. His uucle Ceol-
wiilf succeeded hiin,^ but two years afterwards he was expelled
from the kingdom, and lieornwoulf was raised to the throne.
After the lapse of two years Beornwulf was slain in battle
by the East-Angles. His kinsman Ludican succeeded him,- but
two years afterwards was slain by the East-Angles, while he was
endeavouring to avenge his predecessor.

Wiglaf succeeded Ludican in the kingdom.^ His queen Cyne-
thryth bore him a sou named Wigmund, who had St. Wistan, by
Eltleda, daughter of Ceohvulf, king of Mercia. King Wiglaf died
in the thirteenth year of his reign,'* and was buried at Hepton :
Beorhtwulf succeeded him. His queen. Scethryth, bore him a
son named Berhtferht, who slew St. Wistan. His corpse was
carried to Eepton, a monastery famous at that time, and was
buried in the tomb of iiis grandfather, king Wiglaf. IMiracles
from above were not wanting at his martyrdom, for a column of
light shot to heaven from the spot on which he was murdered, and
remained visible to all the inhabitants of the place for thirty days.

King Beorhtwulf died in the thirteenth year of his reign,^
and was succeeded by Burhred, who married Ethelswitha, the
slaughter of Ethelwulf, king of Wessex. He was driven from his
kingdom in the twenty-second year of his reign,*^ by an army of
pagan Danes, and soon afterwards went to Home, where he did
not long survive, and lies buried in St. Mary's church in the
"Saxon school. In the same year that Burhred was driven from
his kingdom, the pagan Danes ])laced the government of ^lercia
in the hands of his thane, Ceohvulf, for a time, but after three
years they divided part of it among themselves, and part they
gave to him, suffering him to reign in it: he was the last of the
Mercian kings. After his death, Alfred, king of Wessex, in order
that he might entirely rid his country of the army of pagan Danes,
recovered by his valour London and the surrounding districts,
and obtained possession of that part of the kingdom of Mercia
avhich Ceohvulf held.^

THE ORIGIN OF THE KINGS OF BERNICIA.

In the year of our Lord 547 (according to Dionysius), Ida, the
son of Eoppa. a very valiant chief, began to reign in Bernioia.
Ho had six sons by his queen, namely, Adda, Bealric, 'i'heodore,
Ethelric, Osmcrc, and Theodhere; and six by his concubines,
Occa, Alric, Ecca, Oswald, Sogor, and Sogothero. He reigned
twelve years, and his eldest son Adda succeeded him.

»A.D. 821. 2v.i), §23. » AD. 825. " .\.d. 833.

i A.D. 802. « A.D. 874. ' A.I). 8.s(;.

£ £

450 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

THE OKIGIN OF THE KINGS OF DEIEA.

In the year of our Lord 559 (according to Dionysius) (Ella,
the son ot" Yffi, a very powerful chief, hegan to reign in Deira,
which he ruled for nearly thirty years. Meanwhile, the following
kings reigned in Bernicia, during ffilla's lifetime: Adda, the eldest
son of Ida, for seven years; Theodoric, for seven years; and
Ethelric, for two years. On his death, ^ QElla expelled his son
Edwin from the kingdom in the third year of his reign, and
reigned over both provinces during five years. On his death,^ his
son Ethelfrid assumed the government. His queen Acha, the
daughter of (Ella, bore him seven sons; Eanfrith, Oslaf, Oslac, St.
king Oswald, St. king Oswy, OfFa, and Oswudu ; and an only
daughter, the abbess St. Ebbe. His brother Theobald was slain
in the battle in which he defeated Aidan, king of the Scots. He,
too, fell in a battle with Redwald, king of East-Anglia, in the
twenty-fourth year of his reign,^ and w^as succeeded by St. Edwin,
the son of (Ella.

While Edwin was in exile, two sons were born to him by
Quenburg, daughter of Creoda, king of Mercia, namely, Osfrith
and Eadfrith. Hereric was the son of Eadfrith, and he had by
Beorhtswith two daughters, the abbess St. Hilda, the foundress of
the monastery called Streoneshalh,^ and St. Hereswith, queen of
the East-Angles. He had also two sons by his queen St. Ethel-
burg, daughter of Ethelbert, king of Kent, namely, St. Ethelhun
and St. Wuscfrea; and two daughters, St. Eanflede and St. Ethel-
dritli. He was slain in the seventeenth year of his reign, and the
forty-eighth year of his age, together with his son Osfrith, by
Pen da, the pagan king of Mercia, and Ceadwalla, the barbarian
king of the Welsh.

Edwin was succeeded by St. Oswald, son of his predecessor
Ethelfrid and his sister Acha. St. Oswald was slain in the ninth,
year of his reign ^ by Penda, king of Mercia, before mentioned,
and was succeeded by his brother Oswy. In the second year of
king Oswy's reign, St. Oswine, the son of Osric, who was the son
of Alfric, who was the uncle of king Edwin, began to reign over
the Deiri, and was slain in the seventh year of his reign.^ Ethel-
wald, son of king Oswald, succeeded him. King Oswy had two
sons by his queen Eanflede, daughter of king Edwin, namely,
Ecgfrid and Elfwine; and three daughters, Osthryth, who married
Peada, king of the East-Mercians, and Alfredo, who was devoted
to God by her father after his victory in which king Penda was
slain. Oswy reigned for three years over the Mercians and

1 A.D. 688. 2 _A^.D. 593. 3 A.D. 693. * Whitby.

i' A.D. 642. 6 A.D. 651.

KINGDOMS OF THE IIErXARCIIY. 451

the other people of t]ie soutliern provinces. At his denth, in the
twenty-eiglitli year ol' his reign,' he left his son Kcgfrid heir to his
kingdom. Ecgfrid was sIhId by the Picts in the fifteenth year of
his reign,^ and succeeded by his brother Ahlfrid, who died in the
twentieth year of his reign,' and was succeeded by his son Osred,
who was slain in the eleventh year -of his reign. Osred was suc-
ceeded by Kenred, son of Cuthwine, great grandson of king Ida,
who died two years afterwards;^ when Osric was raised to the
throne. He died in the eleventh year of his reign,^ and Ceolwnlf,
his ])redecessor's brother, succeeded. Jn the ninth year of Ceol-
wulf's reign, he became a nionk,^ resigning the government of the
kingdom to his nephew Eadbriht, the son of Eata. Eadbriht
becoming a monk in the nineteenth year of his reign,'' his son
Oswulf was a])pointed king; but he was slain by the Northum-
brians, after reigning one year. Moll Ethelwold succeeded, but
he altdicated the government in the seventh year of his reign,^
and Alhred, the son of ?]anwin, grandson in the third generation
of king Ida, succeeded to the throne. The Northumbrians ex-
pelled him from the kingdonl in the ninth year of his reigu,'-^ and
raised to the throne Kthelred, also called Ethelbert, the sou of
Moll. Him also the Northumbrians deposed in the fifth year of
his reign, and made Alfwold'" l^hig. Alfwold was foully slain by
a very powerful man whose name was Sigan,'' and being succeeded
by his nephew Osred, the son of Alhred, he, too, was driven from
the kingdom by the Northumbrians after a year was past, and
they re-called king Pithelbert, whom they had before deposed, to
the throne.'- He having been murdered by those about him,
Osbald took possession of the throne, but he filled it only a few
days, and was succeeded by Eardulf, who reigned one year.

For seventy-six years from that time Northumbria was partly
governed by kings, tiie last of whom were Osbryht und Q'illa, who,
in the year 807 (according to the reckoning of Dionysius), was slain
at York,'-^ with tlie flower of the Northumbrian youth, by })agans,
consisting of Danes, Norwegians, Swedes, Goths, and people of
other nations. From that year'^ the" English kings who had ruled
Northumbria for three hundred and twenty-one years, ceased to

1 A D. 670. 2 A.T). G8.5. 3 A.D. 705. * a.d. 718.

6 AD. 729. «A.iJ. 738. 7 AD. 757. Sa.d. 7G5.

* A.D. 774. 10 AD. 778. Alfwukl was the son of Oswulf.

" A.D. 789. See before, p. 47. 12^1). 794.

" See a fuller accrjunt of the assault and capture of York in Florence

(l)of()re p. GO), than is ^ivcn in the Saxon Chronicle.

'■• Instead of the followinj^ paragraph, as far as the point on which king
Athclstan conies on the scene, the editions read thus: " Whoever •wishes to
bcconu' acf|uaintc(l with the atrocious deeds of these [Pagans] will find them
fully recorded in due ordcT in the Chronicle (»f Chronicles : in this sununary
we have endeavoured to insert only what is most imj)()rtant. It only remaiua
to observe that Athelstau, the glorious king of Wessex," ^c.

E E 2

452 FLOKEXCE OF WORCESTER.

reign tltere for fifty -one years. Indeed, during eight years,
they had no king at all, being crushed, pkmdered, and enslaved
by "the pagans just mentioned; for, during that period, St.
Edmund, king of East-Angha, being slain, and Burhred, king of
jNIercia, driven beyond sea, and their kingdoms subjugated, while
Alfred, king of Wessex, was nearly ruined, and the greatest part
of liis kingdom occupied, the Danes incessantly overran and sailed
about England ; burning monasteries with their monks, and
churches with their clergy, giving cities, towns, castles, and vills,
to the flames, laying v/aste the lands, and slaughtering multitudes
of the people. Nor is this to be wondered at, for so powerful and
numerous an army never landed in England, before or afterwards;
it was led by eight kings, namely, Bagseg, Halfdene, Hinguar,
Hubba, Guthrum, Oskytel, Amund, and Eowils, and more than
twenty earls, and well furnished with arms of all descriptions.
In the ninth year after Osbryht and ffilla fell, the pagan kings,
Halfdene and Eowils, began to reign in Northumbria, and reigned
twenty-six years. They having been slain by the English,
Keignald was king for ten years, and Sihtric reigned for a few
years.

On his death, his son Guthferth assumed the government,
but shortly afterwards the powerful and glorious king Athelstan
drove him out of his kingdom, and in the year of our Lord (ac-
cording to Dionysius) 926, being the 447th year from the arrival
of the English in Britain, he, first of the Anglo-Saxons, obtained
the monarchy of all England, and having the king of the Scots
and the Welsh kings as his tributaries, reigned sole king over the
whole of England.^

THE GENEALOGY OF THE KINGS OF WESSEX.

In the year of our Lord 519 (according to Dionysius) Cerdic
and his son Cynric, as we find in the English Ciironicle, began to
reign in Wessex ; and in the sixteenth year of his reign,^ Cerdic
died, and Cynric became sole king. He died in the thirty-sixth
year of his reign,^ and was succeeded by his son Ceaulin, who
reigned thirty three years. Ceol, his brother Cuthwulf's son, who
two years before had been appointed king under him, ungratefully

^ For the last clause of this sentence the editions read: " He was cro■^^^^ed
king of England, and universally ackuoAvledged as emperor of all Britain."

'- A.D. 534.

3 A.D 550. For thirty-six read twenty-six. See the Saxon Chronicle
under this year.

KINGDOMS OF THE IIEPTAIK IIV. 4o3

rebellcJ a'^ainst him, and ejectinc; him from his kin^uom, rcignecl
in his stead live vears.^ After his decease, Ceolwiilf, the sou of
Cutha, hecanie king; he died in tlie fourteenth year of his reign,-
and was succeeded by Cynogils the son of liis brotlier Ceol, who,
in tlic twenty-fourtli year of liis reign, lirst of the kings of Wessex,
received Christian bajitism. together wiih his people, at tlie liands
of St. Birinus, tlie bishoj).* His son, king Cuicliehn, died the
following year,^ having been ba})tised by the same bishop.

King Cynegils died in the thirty-first year of his reign, and his
son Cenwaleh succeeded to the government of the kingdom. He
was baptised in Plast-Anglia by St. Felix, the bishop,^ and built
the church at Winchester, in whicii is the bishop's seat. He died
in the thirty-sixth year of his reign,^ and his wife Sexburg reigned
one year after him. Then Cenfus reigned two years, as king
Alfred states, but, according to the English Chronicle, his son
(Escwine reigned nearly three years. He was succeeded by Cent-
wine, son of king Cynegils, w!io died in the eighth year of his
reign.^ He was succeeded by Ceadwall, the son of Genbriht, great
grandson of king Ceaulin,^ and after him Ina, son of the sub-king
Cenred, who was grandson of a grandson of king Ceaulin, governed

» A.p. 593—098. 2 V D. Gil.

' Birinus : " first bishup of the "West-Saxons." — Anoi/ier Ed.

< A.n. 04a.

* Felix ; " first bishop of the East-Aucjles."

•"'A.D. G74. 'A.D. GH.3.

® A.I). 688. Several IMSS. add rospectiiii^ Ceadwall, that he v»'cnt to

Home "for the .sake of Christ Josiis," quotini; some lines from hi.s e])ita]ih

at St. Peter'.s, of Avhich there aj)pear to have been many versions ; that in

Uede beiiii^ in hexameter and pmt.nneter verses, but those in Henry of

Huntingdon, and those quoted in the Addition to Florencc'.s Chronicle, are in

hexameter. The latter ])art we referred to is thus slightly paraphrased in

the translation of Huntinj^don's History : —

Peter to .ece and Peter's h(dy scat

The royal stranj^'or turned his pili^Tim feet ;

Drew from tin; fount ihe purifyiiim' streams,

And shared tlie radiance of celestial beams;

Kxchan;:,ed an earthly crov.ii and barbarous name

For heavenly ,L;lory and eternal fame ;

"While following Peter's rule, he from his lord '

As- nmed his name at father Serj;ius' word ;

Washed in the font, slill elothed in robes of uhite,

Christ's virtue raiscnl liim to the realm.s of li;^ht.

From Britain's distant isle his venturous way

O'er lands, o'er se.is, Ijy toilsonu* journey in;^s lay,

I'ome to Ix'hold, her glorious temph^ see,

And mystie oflerint^s make on bended knee.

AVhite-robed amoii;^; the (lock of Christ he si o:ic ;

His flesh to earth, his soul to heaven is <^one.

Sure wise ho Avas to lay his seeptre (h)wn,

And 'ehaiige an earthly for a heavenly criwu.

454 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

the kiugdom, and built Glastonbury.^ His brother's name was
lugels, and he had two sisters, St. Cuthburg and St. Quenburg.

Ina was succeeded in the kingdom by Ethelhard,^ who was of
the race of king Cerdic. He died in the fourteenth year of his
reign,^ and was succeeded by his kinsman Cuthred. Sigeberht, son
of the sub-king Sigeric, then ascended the throne, and reigned one
year;^ but Cynewulf, a descendant of king Cerdic, drove him out
and reigned in his stead. The etheling Cynehard, son of Sigeric,
and brother of Sigeberht, slew Cynewulf in the thirtieth year of
his reign,^ and Brihtric, one of the descendants of king Cerdic,
succeeded him. Brihtric died in the fifteenth year of his reign,^
and was succeeded by Egbert, son of Alhmund, the sub-king, a
great grandson of king Ina. Egbert died in the thirty-seventh
year of his reign, and was succeeded by his son Ethelwulf.^

Among his other good deeds, king Ethelwulf ordered that three
hundred mancuses should be carried to Rome every year, one
hundred of which were to be employed in honour of St. Peter, to
purchase oil for filling all the lamps of that church on the eve of
Easter; and also at cock-crowing, one hundred in honoTir of St.
Paul, in the same manner; and one hundred mancuses to the catho-
lic and apostolic pope. He released the tenth part of his whole
kingdom from all royal service and tribute, and offered it to the
One and Triune God for the redemption of his own soul, and of
those of his predecessors. After his death and burial at Winchester,
his son Ethelbald succeeded to the kingdom, and died in the third
year of his reign.^ His brother Ethelbert succeeded him, and
reigned for five years.^ After him, his brother Ethelred reigned
eight years :^° during his reign, ffilla and Osbryht, the kings of
North umbria, and St. Edmund, king of East-Anglia, were slain
by the pagan Danes, who took possession of their kingdoms. On
the death of Ethelred, his brother Alfred began to reign. He was
the most accomplished of the Saxon poets, most vigilant in the
service of God, and most discreet in reviewing judicial proceedings.^*
His queen Elswitha bore him two sons, Edward and Ethelward,
and three daughters, Ethelfleda, lady of the Mercians, Ethelgeova,
a nun, and Elfthryth. In the third year of his reign, Burhred,
king of Mercia, was driven from his kingdom by the before
mentioned Danes.

1 Some MSS. add:—

Et pro reg-e Deo, regali culmine spreto,
Eomam rex tendit, quo sancto fine qxiievit.
[Spurned kingly pomp, his heavenly king confessed,
And sped to Rome, and slept in holy rest.]

•'■ A.D. 728. 3 A^D. 741, 4 ^.D, 754^ 755.

5 A.D. 784. 6 ^.D 800. 7 A.D. 836.

8 A.D. 858—861. 9 A.D. 861—866. ^o Read five : A.D. 866—871.

^^ Added here: "He was sent to Rome by his father Ethelwulf, and
anointed king by pope Leo lY."

KINGDOMS OF THE nEPTARCIIT. 455

Kin^ Alfred died in the twenty-ninth year of his reign,* and
was succeeded by hiason Edward, whose qncen Edfjiva bore him
three sons, Edwin, Edmund, and Edred, with St. Edburga, and
three other daughters; of whom Otho, emperor of the Konians,
married one, (Charles, king of the \Vestern-Franl\S, another, and
Sihtric, king of Northumbria, the third. His eUlest son Athclfitan
was by Ecgwin, a lady of very noble birth. He reigned over all
the provinces in England as far as tlie river Humber, and received
the submission, first of the Welsli kings, and afterwards of the
kings of the Scots, the Northumbrians, and the Strathclyde Britons.
On the death of king Edward, liis son Athelstan succeeded to the
throne,2 and after him reigned his brotlier Edmund,^ who had by
his queen St. Elfgiva two sons, Edwy and Edgar. P^dmund liaving
b^en horribly murdered, his brother Edred succeeded to the king-
dom in his place, and died in the tentli year of his reign.'' Edwy,
the son of his brother Edmund, was the next king, and dying in
the fourth year of his reign, was succeeded by his brother li cigar,
then si.xteen years of age. By Eneda,^ a lady of noble birth, he
h;id St. Pldward, by St. Wulftlirylh. St. Edgith, and by his queen
KUthr^'th, two sons, Edmund anuEthelred. In the fourth year of
his reign,'' by his order, St. Ethel wold ejected the canons from the
Old Minster at Winchester, and in the tenth year of his reign,
St. Oswald ejected them from Worcester, and monks were sub-
stituted. Edgar died in the thirty-second year of his age, and the
si.xteenth of his reign, ^ leaving [his son] Edward heir to his
kingdom, who was slain by order of his step-mother Elftliryth, in
the third year of his reign, and succeeded in the kingdom by his
brother Ethelred. He had three sons by Elfgiva, daughter of
Ethelbert the ealdorman, P'dmund, Edwin, and Pithelstan ; and
one daughter, Edgitha. By Emma, daughter of llichard earl of
Kormandy, he had two sons, Alfred and Edward.

Ethelred died in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, and was suc-
ceeded by his son Edmund, who had two sous by a lady of noble
birth, Edmund and Edward; but he perished the same year by the
treason of Edric Streon. After his death, Canute, the son of
Sweyn, king of Denmark, who had invaded England with a
powerful fleet seven months before king Ethelred's death, seized
the reins of government, and sent into banishment the sons of
king Edmund. One of these, Edmund, died in Hungary at an
early age ; but Edward married Agatha, the daughter of the
oin])eror Henry III., by whom he had Margaret, queen of Scots,
Christiana, a nun, and Edgar the etheling. King Canute died in
the nineteenth year of his reign.s liaving made Hardicanute, his
son by queen Emma, king of Denmark. Harold, his son by

» A I) 001. 2 ^^yy 024. » A.D. 940. « A.n. 9 10— P.-i.O.

* Eneda. See page 103. « a.d. 975. ^ a.d. lOlG.

8 A D. 103.3.

456 FLORENCE OF WORCESTEK.

Elfgiva of Hampshire, succeeded him in England, and died five
years after his father's death.^ He was succeeded by his brother
Hardicamite. who died in the third year of his reign, and was suc-
ceeded by Edward, son of king Etheked, his brother by his-
mother's side.-

Edward king of England died in the twenty-third year of his
reigu.^ By his choice and gift he was succeeded by earl Harold,
son of Godwin earl of Wessex, by Githa, sister of Sweyn, king of
Denmark, father of St. Canute, the martyr. He had a son named
Harold by his queen Aldgitha, daughter of earl Algar : the same
year he fell in battle wdth William earl of Normandy, who suc-
ceeded him in the kingdom. William had three sons by his queen
Matilda, namely, Robert, William, and Henry: he died in Nor-
mandy in the twenty-second year of his reign.^ He was succeeded
by his son William, who died without issue in the thirteenth year
of his reign^ in the province of the Jutes,<^ being struck by an
arrow in the New Forest. He was succeeded in the kingdom by
his youngest brother Hemy.

[The printed editions have the following addition.]

By his queen Matilda, he [Henry] had a son named William,,
and a daughter named Matilda, who was, first, empress of the
Ptomans, and afterwards, countess of Anjou.

[The L. manuscript contains this further addition.]

Having succeeded to the throne, lie took to wife Matilda
daughter of Malcolm, king of the Scots, by his queen Margaret,,.
She conceived and bore him a son named William, and a
daughter, Matilda, who was in the course of time married to
Henry, emperor of Germany.^ When his son was scarcely adult,
the king concluded a marriage for him with the daughter of Fulk,
count of Anjou. Beturning to England with his father and many
nobles of both kingdoms, ho was shipwrecked and drowned, with
all who had embarked in his company,^ not in consequence of the
sea being tempestuous, but from sheer negligence of the mariners.
On hearing this, the king was sorely troubled: he recalled his
daughter from Germany, after the emperor's death, and caused
her to remain at his own court. On the death of the queen, his
Vv^ife, he married another, namely, Adeliza, the daughter of
G [odrey], duke of Lorraine;^ and declared his daughter Matilda
successor to the throne by right of inheritance, in the event of his

» A.D. 1040. 2 A.D. 1042. 3 A.D. 1066.

* A.D. 1087. s A.D. 1099.

^ ]3ede says (B. 1., c. 15): "From the Jutes are descended the people of
Kent, and of the Isle of Wight, and those also in the pro^dnces of the West-
Saxons, who are to this day called Jiites, seated opposite to the Isle of
Wight." Hampshire, it appears, still retained the appellation of province
Jntarum, in the days of Florei^ce.

7 A.D. 1108. 8 A.D. 1120. 9 I.onvaine.

KINGDOMS OF THE IIEPTARCIIV. 4')!

haviiif* no son and lieir by Adeliza ; and all the barons of England
conlirraed this by ilieir oaths at London.

Meanwhile, discoid arising, as was often the case, between the
king and the count of Anjoii, the king, as a lover of peace, being
iinwilhng that his kingdom s])Ould be longer disturbed, gave his
daughter in marriage to Geoffrey, the son of count I'ulk.^ For
three years she remained barren, but in the fourth year she con-
ceived and brought forth a son, who was afterwards king of
England by the name of Henry. Count Fulk having resigned
his county to his son Geoffrey, went to Jerusalem, and there, his
fortunes prospering, he was crowned king.

King Henry died in the thirty-sixth year of his reign,- and was
buried in the monastery at Reading, which he had built from the
foundations. But when count G. and his wife, who was the heir,
wisiied to succeed to the kingdom, the nobles of the land, regard-
less of their oath, refused to acknowledge him as king, saying,
"No alien shall reign over us." Taking counsel together, they,
therefore, placed the crown of the kingdom on the head of Stephen^
"brother of the bishop of Winchester, and nephew of king Henry
In consequence, the count of Anjou, being deeply aggrieved by
the injury he had received, began to cause great disturbance ta-
king Ste])lien, and wrested the whole of Normandy from him.
His son, Henry, also having arrived at years of maturity, came
over to England with his mother, and supported by a great
number of the barons of tlie realm, claimed it altogether for him-
self. After crossing tlie sea to and fro several times on visits to
England, lie assenjbled a powerful army, and prepared to wage a
desperate war with tr)e king, who was no less anxious for the con-
flict.3 Many places being fortified against him with locks and bolts,
and especially the castle of Wallingford, England was grievously
harassed by botii parties in their mutual ravages.

At that period there was no respect paid either to the bishop's
mitre or the abbot's cowl; both were stripped if they did not, at
the first demand, furnish whatever was required. And if a hus-
bandman liad grain left to sow his land, the crop was carried ofl'
by the enemy before it was ripe, as fodder for horses, instead of
being the food of man. The more tlie prisoner possessed b}' which
he could ransom himself from suffering, tiie more cruel were the
tortures inflicted on him, for he was reckoned far more honourable
than the rest, who was best able to plunge others into dishonour
and ruin. At length,' through tlie intervention of their coun-
eellors, on both sides, Stephen disinheriting his own family,
acknowledged on oath Henry as his successor in the kingdom.
Before a year elapsed after tiiis treaty, king Stephen ended hi&

^ .*.i), 1127. - A.I). 1 1.^5. 3 ^^ „. ii-,2.

«A.T>. 1153.

458 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

days in the nineteenth year of his reign.^ On receiving this intel-
ligence, Henry, wlio was tlien duke of Normandy and Aquitaine
and count of Anjou (for his father was now dead), came over to
Englaud, with his wife Eleanor; who, having been married to
Lewis, king of France, had been divorced from him by reason of
consanguinity. He was attended by the archbishop of Rouen and
many of the French nobles, both spiritual and lay, and on his
arrival, obtained the crown of England, pursuant to the oaths
of fealty he had before received.

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF KENT.

The dominions of the Kentish kings were confined to Kent; in
which there are these two bishoprics, the archbishopric of Canter-
bury, and the bishopric of Rochester.

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF WESSEX.

The dominions of the kings of Wessex included "Wiltshire,
Berkshire, and Dorsetshire; in which there is one bishop, whose
see is now at Salisbury, but was formerly at Ramsbury or Sher-
borne. Sussex also was subject to them, although, at one time, it
had its own king. The episcopal see of that province was in old
times at Selsey, an island round which the tide flows, as Bede
relates, and where St. Wilfrid built a monastery; but the bishop
has now his residence at Chichester. The kingdom of Wessex
also included Hampshire and Surrey, in which there is one bishop,
who has his see at Winchester ; Somersetshire, with a bishop for-
merly at Wells, but now at Bath ; Domnania, called Devonshire,
and Cornubia, called Cornwall, in which there were then two
bishoprics, one at Crediton, the other at St. Germain's; but now
there is only one, the see of which is Exeter.

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF MERCIA.

The dominion of the kings of Mercia included the following
districts, viz., Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire ; in
these there is one bishop whose see is at Worcester. Cheshire,
Derbyshire, and Staffordshire ; in these there is one bishop, and

^ King Stephen died on the 24th October, 1154.

KINGDOMS OF THE HEPTARCHY. 459

his diocese contains part of Warwickshire and Shropshire, his see
havinpf been formerly at Litchfield, but is now at Chester or
Coventry: Herefordshire; the bishop having half Shropshire
and part of "Warwickshire and Gloucestershire, with his see at
Hereford : Oxfordshire, liiickingharnshire, Herefordshire, Hunt-
ingdonshire, half of Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Leicester-
shire, and Lincolnsliire ; all these are under a bishop who now
has his see at Lincoln, which was formerly at J)orchester:
Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire; the spiritual care of which
pertains to the archbishop of York, but they had formerly a
bishop of their own, whose see was at Leicester.

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF EAST-ANGLTA.

The kings of the East-Angles were masters of Cambridgeshire ;
where there is a bishop who has his see at Ely : and Norfolk and
Suffolk, wiiich have a bishop whose see is now at Norwich, but
was formerly at Elmham or Thetford.

CONCEENING THE KINGDOM OF ESSEX.

The kings of Essex ruled in Essex and half of Hertfordshire,
which were included in, and still are part of, the diocese of the
bishop of Loudon.

CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF NORTHUMBRIA.

The Northumbrian kings had dominion over all the country
which lies beyond the river Hun)ber as far as Scotland. There
were in it the archbishop of York, and the bishops of Ilexham,
Ripon. Liudisfurne, and Whitherne ; but the bishoprics of Hexham
and Ili))on have been dissolved, and the bishop of Liudisfarno was
translated to l^uiliam.

'J'hese were the territories apportioned to the several kingdoms;
hut in the vicissitudes of the tin)es, now one l<ing and now an-
01 her, either extended his frontiers by his valour, or lost ground
by his feebleness.

460 FLORENCE OF WORCESTER.

CONCERNING THE ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY

AND YORK.

In ancient times, tlie arclibisbop of Canterbury bad in bis
province tbe following bisbops, viz., tbe bisbops of London,
Winchester, Rocbester, Sberborne, Worcester, Hereford, Litcb-
field, Selsey, Leicester, Elinbam, Sidnacester, and Dunwicb : in
th.e time of king Edward tbe Elder there were added the bisbops
of Cornwall, Crediton, and Weils in Wessex, and of Dorcbester
in Mercia,

The archbishop of York bad nnder bis jm'isdiction all tbe
bisbops beyond tbe LIuraber, namely, Ripon, Hexham, Lindis-
fame, that of Candida casa, now called Whitberue, and all the
bisbops of Scotland and the Orkney islands, in the same manner
as tbe archbishop of Canterbury has jurisdiction over tbe bisbops
of Ireland and Wales. The bishoprics of Papon and Hexham,
have long since disappeared in consequence of bostile invasions,
and those of Leicester, Sidnacester, and Dunwicb, I knov/ not bow.

Further: in tbe reign of king Edward, tbe Simple-minded, the
dioceses of Cornwall and Crediton were united, and the see was
transferred to Exeter. Under king William the Bastard, it was
ordered in council, that tbe bishops should leave their vills and
fix their residences in the cities of their dioceses. In consequence,
the bishop of Litchfield removed to Chester, formerly called
Caerligion; tlie bishop of Selsey to Chichester; the bishop of
Elmham to Thetford, first, and afterwards to Norwich ; tbe bishop
of Sherborne to Salisbury; tbe bishop of Dorcbester to Lincoln:
tbe bishop of Lindisfarne long ago shifted to Durham, and the
bishop of Wells, lately, to Bath.

CONCERNING THE BISHOP'S SEATS IN COUNCIL.

When tbe archbishop of Canterbury presides at a council, let
him have the archbishop of York on bis right hand, and next to
him the bishop of Winchester, and tbe bishop of London on his
left. But if it should happen that tbe archbishop of Canterbury
be absent, tbe archbishop of York, as president of the council,
shall have tbe bishop of London on bis right hand, and the
bishop of Winchester on bis left. Let the others take their seats
according to the order of time at which they were consecrated.

THE END.

INDEX,

AccA, bishop of Hexham, 3G ; ex-
pelled from his see, 40 ; his
death, 41.

Adam do Chillenden, elected arch-
bishop of Canterbury, 847 ; re-
sij^ns, 850; retires to his priory,
352; his death, 853.

Ad-Bearuwe, monastery founded,
22.

Adda, a Mercian priest, 17.

Adelaide, dau^^hter of the duke of
Louvaine, brought over, 232,
233; married to Henry 1. and
crowned, 233; entertains the
Empress Maud, 268.

Adrian accompanies archbishop
Theodore to England, 22; made
abbot of St. Peter's, 23; his
death, 36.

iEcci, bishop of the East-Angles,
24.

Aed, an Irish clerk, account of,
156.

Aedan, king of the Scots, defeated
at Degsastan, 9.

JEfie, murdered by'Leofsy, 113.

jVJy [Avicius], dean of Evesham,
his death, 141.

iEgelric, bishop of Durham, re-
tires to Peterborough, 158; his
death

bishop of Sussex, 159; de-
posed, 175.

^lOgelsthrep, see Aylesford.

./Egclwino, see PLthelwine.

TEgilberht, bishop of the West-
Saxons, 16; returns to France,
made bishop of Paris, 20 j pre-

his

sent at the synod of Whitby, 19;

onlains Wilfrid, 20.
yElfgar, bishop of Elmham,

death, 135.

bishop of Wilton, 104.

son of a-Elfric, blinded

order of Ethelred, 110.

)See Algar.

/Elfcah [iElphege] the

by

Bald,

bishop of Winchestei', 97 ; his
death, 99.

St., abbot of Bath, bishop of

Winchester, 108; archbishop of
Canterbury, 115; murdered by
the Danes, 120, 121 ; translated,
135.

iElfgeat, a king's thane, 142.

jElfhelm, ealdorman, murdered
by Edric Streon, 115; his child-
ren blinded, 116; his daughter
Elfgowa, 140.

jl^lfhere, ealdorman of Mercia,
expels the monks, 106; trans-
lates the body of St. Edward,
the king, 107; his death, 108.

JElt hun, bishop of London, buries
the body of archbishop Elphege,
121; attends queen Emma to
Norm.andy, 122.

iElHa;d, see ElHc^eda.

iElfmicr, archdeacon, betrays
Canterbury to the Danes, 119.

bishop of Selsey, 118; his

death, 134.

yElfred, bishop of Selsey, 103.

bisho{) of Sherborne, 98.

yElfric, archbishop of York, 135;
goes to Rome, ib.; employed to

462

INDEX.

disinter the body of Harold,
143; accuses Godwin and others
of the murder of Alfred, 143;
anoints king Edward, 145 ; his
death, 150.

bishop of Elmham, his death,

142.

iElfric, bishop of "Wilton, ap-
pointed to the see of Canter-
bury, ]11; consecrated, 112;
his death, 115.

bishop of Worcester, 144.

ealdorman of Mercia, 108;

banished, ib. ; advises tribute to
be paid to the Danes, 109;
commands the fleet, 110 ;
sends intelligence, and flees
to the Danes, 110; his treason,
114.

ealdorman, slain in the battle

of Assandun, 130,

earl, brother of Odda, his

death, 155.

iElfsige, bishop of Lindisfarne,
103; his death, 109.

(Wulfhelm?) bishop of

Wells, his death, 101.

. bishop of Winchester, 98;

raised to the see of Canterbury,
101 ; his death, ib.

bishop of Winchester, 125.

^Ifstan, bishop of Wilton, has a
command in the fleet against
the Danes, 110.

^Ifthrith, married to king Ed-
gar, 103 ; murders her son-in-
law, king Edward, 107.

JElfward, abbot of Evesham and
bishop of London, 146; retires
to Ramsey, and death, ib.

JElfweard, etheling, son of Ed-
ward the elder, his death, 96.

iElfwine, bishop of Elmham, 135.

bishop of Wells, 114.

bishop of Winchester, his

death, 147.

See also Alfwine.

iElfwold, bishop of Sherborne, his

death, 107.

ealdorman, resists the ex-
pulsion of the monks, 107.

iElla lands in Sussex, 4; defeats
the Britons, ib.; and at Mer-
creades-burne, ib.; storms An-
dredes-ceast.er, ib.; the first
Bretwalda, 50.

be^^ins to reign in Deira, 6;

his genealogy, ib.; his death, 8.
king of Northumbria, slain

at York, 60.

bishop of Litchfield, 96.

iElmar, bishop of Selsey, his
death, 134.

-35rfast, bishop of Elmham, 142 ;
transfers the see to Thetford, ib.,

-S^sc, begins to reign with Hengest,
3; defeats the Britons at Cray-
ford, ib.; at Wippedsfleote, t6.;
again, 4; reigns after Hengest,
ib.

iEscwine, king of Wessex, 24; his
genealogy, ib.; battle of Bea-
denhead between him and Wulf-
here, ib.; his death, 26.

^scwy, bishop of Dorchester, goes
in the fleet against the Danes,
110.

j3i^thelfrith, see Ethelfrith, &c.

^thelric, see Ethelric.

Aetius, groans of the Britons to, 2.

Aidan, invited to Bernicia by Os-
wald, 14; his death, 16.

Albermarle, earl, at the battle of
the Standard, 264

Alberic, bishop of Ostia, comes as
legate, 266.

Albigenses, destruction of, 313;
crusade against, 319.

Albinus, succeeds Adrian as abbot
of St. Peter's, 36.

Aldgyth, wife of Harold, goes to
Chester, after the battle of
Hastings, 170.

Aldhelm, abbot ofMalraesbury, 21;
dedicates his work "De Vir-
ginitate," to Heldelith, abbess
of Barking, 25; made bishop of
Sherborne, 34; his death, 35.

abbot, slain by the people of

Thetford, 100.

Aldhun, bishop of Lindisfarne,
109; his death, 135.

INDEX.

463

Aldred, bishop of Lindisfame, his
death, 103.

Aldred. expelled from B:iin-
borough, 96.

Aldred, abbot of Tavistock and
bishop of Worcester, 147; goes
to Rome, 150 ; envoy to the
emperor. 156 ; administers the
see of Hereford, 158; conse-
crates the abbey church at Wor-
cester, lt»; resigns the see of
Wilton, ib. : goes in pilgrimage
to Home, ib ; made archbishop
of York, 161 ; crowns William
the Conqueror, 171; his death,
173.

Aldulf, king of East-Anglia, his
genealogy, 21.

archbishop of York, 109;

translates the body of St. Oswald,
114; his death, ib.

Aldred, ^e Ealdrid.

Aldwine. bishop of Litchfield, ?9.

Aldwulf, bishop of Rochester, 33;
his death, 41.

Alexander, bishop of Lincoln, 2.'>5;
his consecration, ib. and note;
cruel treatment by king Stephen,
261.

Alexander L, king of Scotland,
215: his death, 235.

Alexander IL, king of Scotland,
his charter with Henry III , 393;
letter to the Pope, 394 ; claims
Northumberland, kc , 395.

Alexander III., king of Scotland,
knighted by Henry III., 327;
marries the Princess Margaret,
t6. ; marries a daughter of the
Count of Dreux, 373; his death,
373 ; his disputed succession,
398.

Alfred, king, bom 53; his gene-
alogy ; ib ; sent to Rome, bo ;
anointed king there, ib. ; goes
with his father to Rome, 56; his
marria^re, 60; marches against
the Danes to Nottingham, 61;
defeated by the Danes at Read-
inir, 62; defeats them at Ash-
down, ib.; worsted bj them

at Basing, 64; and at ^ferton,
i6. ; succeeds to the throne,
ib. : of his youth, 05 ; his
devotion, ib. ; afflicted with a
painful dist-ase, ib. ; his chil-
dren, 66; his public works, alms,
ib.; encouragement of foreign-
ers, ib.; defeated by the Danes
at Wilton, 67; makes peace with
the Danes, ib.; invites Plei:-
mund, Athelstan, and Werwulf,
68 ; invites Grimbaldj.John of Old-
Saxony, and Asser, ib. ; defeats
the Danes at sea, 69: makes a
treaty with them, ib.; with-
draws to the marshes of Somer-
setshire, 70; fortifies himself at
Athelney, 71 ; defeats the Danes
at Ethandun, ib. : makes peace
with them, ib.; defeats them at
sea; sends alms to St. Thomas, in
India. 73 ; the Danes defeat his
fleet atthemouthoftheStour,74;
he restores London, and places
it under Ethelred of Mercia, 75;
begins to read and translate,
76; his bodily sufferings,
acts, and government, ib. ;
founds monasteries at Athelney
and Shaftesbury, 77; division of
his revenue, ib. ; division of his
time, ib.; judicial administra-
tion, 78; marches against the
Northumbrian and East -Anglian
Danes, 81 ; defeats the Danes at
Farnham, ib. ; at Benfleet, 82 ;
erects two forts on the sea, 84;
builds large ships. So ; his death
and character, So, S6.
— the king's horse-thane, 154.
son of king Ethelred, sent

to Normandy, 122; returns to
England, 140: his followers
cruelly murdered, ib.; barbar-
ous treatment and death of, i6.

Alfonso, king ot Castile, expels
the Moors, 3C8.

son of Edward I., bom, 353;

his death, 370.

Alfward, sfe -Elfward.

All'wine, brother ol king Ecgfrith,

464

INDEX.

slain in the battle on the Trent,
27.
Alnvold, bishop of Crediton, 100 ;
his death, 104.

kini^ of Northumbria, 44;

sends for his pall for Eanbald,
45 ; murdered, 46.

Alftar, bishop of Elmham, his
death, 135.

earl, son of Leofric, suc-
ceeds to Harold's earldom,
155; is outlawed, 156; invades
England with Griffyth, king of
Wales, 157; defeats earl Ru-
dulph, 158; burns Hereford, ib.;
makes peace with Harold, ib ;
succeeds his father, 159; is
again outlawed and restored,160.

Alhfrith, son of king Oswy, at the
battle of Winwidtield, IS ; at
the synod of Whitby, 19 ; suc-
ceeds Ecgfrith, 29 ; bestows the
see of Hexham on Wilfrid, 30 ;
expels him from Hexham, 32;
his death, 34.

Alhun, bishop of Worcester, 53,
61 ; his death, 67.

Alhmund, bishop of Hexham, 44;
his death, 44.

son of Alfred of Northum-
bria, slain, 48.

Alhred, king of Northumbria, 44;
his genealogy, ib. ; expulsion
of, ib.

Alhstan, bishop of Sherborne, see
Ealhstan.

Alice, queen, see Adelaide.

Alms, of the West-Saxons, Ethel-
helm conveys them to Rome,
76; Beocca conveys them, 79;
Beornhelm carries them, ib.

Alric, king of Kent, 38.

Alwin, see iElfvvine.

Amesbury, synod at, 107; nunnerv
at, 373, 374.

Amund, a Danish king, winters at
Cambridge, 69.

a Danish huscarl, 167.

Andredes-ceaster, the fort razed,

4.
.Andredes-leag, forest of, 4.

Andrew, St., oratory dedicated to,
at Kempsej'-, 61.

Anfrid Cocksfoot, a Norman
resident in England, 155.

Angles, their arrival in Britain, 3.

Animchadus, a monk of Fulda,
account of, 145, 146.

Anjou, Charles of, elected king of
Sicily, 336 ; gains the battle of
Benevento, 344 ,• takes Nocera,
346.

Anlaf, see Olaf.

Anna, king of the East- Angles,
15; his death, 17.

Anselra, archbishop of Canterbury,
195; consecration of, 197; his
quarrel with WiUiara XL, 203;
he goes to Rome, ib. ; attends
pope Urban at the council of
Bari, 205; goes to Lyons, ib.\
is recalled, 208; holds a synod,
211; disputes with the king re-
specting investitures, ib. ; goes
to Rome, 212; is reconciled with
the king, 214 ; returns to Eng-
land, ib. ; makes terms as to in-
vestitures, 215; canons for the
reformation of the clergy, 217,
218; his death, 219.

, the archbishop's nephew,

legate from Rome, 226 and 7ivte;
meets Henry I. in Normandy,
228.

Anthony Bek, bishop of Durham,
368; excommunicated by the
archbishop of York, 400; his
mission to the emperor, 406.

Antioch taken by the crusaders,
204; surrender of, to the sultan
of Egypt, 343.

Arfast, bishop of Elmham, 170 ;
transfers the see to Thetford, ib.

Arnost, bishop of Rochester, 176 ;
his death, ib.

Arnulph, elected emperor, 75 ;
dismemberment of the Carlo-
vingian empire, ib. ; he defeats
the Danes on the Dyle, near
Louvaine, 80.

bishop of Rochester, 225 ; his

death, 235.

INDEX.

405

Arthur, duke of Brittany, born,
304; knip^hted by the kinj:^ of
France, 311 ; besieges the castle
of Mirabeau. ib. ; taken prisoner
by king John and sent to Falaise,
ib.

Artois, Robert, count of, his rash
conduct in Pak'Stine, H2().

Asbiorn, lands in the Humber
with the sons of king Sweyn,
173 ; is bribed by William the
Conqueror, ib. ; returns to Den-
mark, 175 ; is outlawed there, ib.

Ascalon, battle of, 205.

Ashdown, battle of, 62, 63.

Assandun, battle of, 130 ; Canute
founds a church there, 134.

Asser invited by Alfred, 68 ; his
death, 72.

Athelm, bishop of Wells, raised to
the see of Canterbury, DO ;
crowns Athelstan, 96.

Athelney, Alfred, retires to, 71.

jVthelstan, king of Kent, 52.

king of England, his birth,

86; accession, U6; marries his
sister to Sihtric, ib. ; expels
Gunferth and unites Northum-
bria to his crown, ib. ; receives
the homage of the petty kings,
ib. ; invades Scotland, 07; de-
feats the Scots and Danes at the
battle of Brunanburgh, ib. ; his
death, 98.

son-in-law of Ethelred, 118.

bishop of Hereford, 157; be-

comes blind and ha.sa coadjutor,

158 ; his death, ib.
Athulf, ealdoi-nian, queen El-

switlia's brother, his death, 87.
Avelina, countess of Aumale, her

death, 353.
Avicus, dean of Evesham, 141.
Augustine, St., his mission, 8 ;

ordains Mellitus, Justus, and

Laurentius, 0, 10; his death, 10.
Aylesford, battle of, 3.

Bacseg, a Danish king, slain at

Ashdown, 63.
Badwine, see Bcadwine.

Bakewell built, 95.

Baldred, king of Kent, e.xpelled,
49.

Baldwin, archbishop of Canter-
bury, 303; his death, 305.

abbot of St. Edmund's, a skil-
ful physician, 203.

king of Jerusalem, 209.

count of Flanders, goes to

Jerusalem, 311; made emperor
of the East, 312.

Baliol, Bernard de, at the battle
of the Standard, 264.

John dc, claims the crown of

Scotland, 382; adjudged to him,
399 ; swears fealty, ib. ; is
crowned, ib.; does homage at
Newcastle, 400.

Banbury, battle at, 6.

Bangor, slaughter of the monks of,
9.

Bar-le-Duc, count of, married to
the princess Eleanor, 401; joins
Edward's forces, 403.

Bari, council of, 205.

Barking abbey founded by Ethel-
burga, 20, 25.

Barre, Richard, his mission to the
pope, 296; his letter to Henry
II., 297, 299; his mission to tl-.e
emperors of Germany and Con-
stantinople, 304.

Basing, Ethered and Alfred de-
feated by the Danes at, 64.

Bath, threatened with an attack,
261 ; skirmish in the neighbour-
hood, 278.

Battle, abbey, consecrated, 197.

Battles, at Aylesford, 3; Crayford,
ib.; Wippedes-tieot, ib. ; Cy-
raenes-ora, 4 ; Andredes-leag ib.-
Mercredes-burn, ib.; Cerclices-
ora, ib. ; Cerdices-ford, 5 ;
Seares-byrig (Old Sarum), 6;
Banbury, ib.; \\'imbIedon, 7;
Bedford, ib.; Dirham, ib.; Fre-
thern, ib.; Wodnes-beorh, 8, 37;
Degsastan, 9; lieandune, 10;
the river Idh^, 11; Cirencester,
13 ; Ifatiiild, ib. ; between
Cicdwall and Osric, ib. ; between

r r

466

INDEX.

Oswald and Csedwall, ib. ; Sii;e-
beitandPenda,14; atMaserfeld,
15; Winwidfeld [helos?], 18; of
Cenwalch and the Britons, ib.;
at Bidanheafed, 24; in Lindsey,
26; on tlio Trent, 27; Centwine
and the West-Britons, 28; Eg.
frid with the Picts, 29; Cead-
■walla and Ethel wealh, i6. ; Berht-
frith and the Picts, 36; with
Gwent,z6.; betweea Inaandthe
South -Saxons, 38 ; between
Ethel ward and Oswald, 39; the
Britons with Ethelbald and
Cuthred, 41; between Cuthred
and Ethelhun,42; withEthelbard
and the Britons, ib. ; at Burford,
ib.; between Cynewulf and the
Britons, ib.; at Oxford, 44; at
Bensington, ib. ; Cymeres-ford,
48; Gavinford [Caraelford?], 49;
Ellandune, ib.; in East-Anglia,
bis, 50; in Essex, ib.; at Char-
mouth, 51 ; sea-fight at ditto, 52;
Hengests-dune, ib. ; sea-fight
near Southampton, 52; at Port-
land Island, ib.; on the Parret,
63; Wemburg, 55; Ockley, 55;
Sandwich, //;.; Thanet, ib ; Win-
chester, 59; York, 60; Engle-
field, 62; Beading, ib. ; Ashdown,
ib.; Basing, 64; Merton, ib.;
Wilton, 67; Alfred's sea-fight
■with the Danes, 69 ; at Cynuit (?)
in North Devon, 70; Ethandun,
71 ; between the Danes and Al-
fred's fleet at the mouth of the
Stour, 75; at St. Loe, 80; on the
Dyle, ib. ; at Farnham, 31 ; Ben-
fleet, 82; Buttington, 83; Holme,
87 ; on the Ouse, 88; at Tetten-
hall, 89 ; Wodnesfeld, ib. ;
Leighton, 90; Brunanburgh, 97;
sea-fight between the Londoners
aid East - Anglians and the
Danes, 110; Penho, 113; near
Thetford, 115 ; Ringinere, 118;
Scearstan, 127; Brentford, 129;
Oxford, 130; Assandun, ib. ;
Stanford bridge, 109 ; Hastings,
170; Ascalon, 205; Tinuhebrai,

214; in Gower, between Nor-
mans and Welsh, 251 ; and at
Cardigan, ib.; of the Standard,
264; Lincoln, 279; Tiberias, 304;
Bovines, 316; Lincoln, with
Lewis of France, 317; Lewes,
335; Evesham, 337; Benevento,
344; sea-fight between Franks
and Greeks, 375 ; between
Genoese, English, and Flemings
in the sea of Marmora, 379; at
Skonor, between Norway and
Denmark, ib. ; sea-fight between
English and Norman pirates,
400; again, 401.

Beadenhead, battle at, 24.

Beadwulf, bishop of Whitherne,
47.

Beadwine, bishop of Elmham, 24.

Beandon, battle of, 10.

Beatrix, daughter of Henry III.,
her death, 354.

Beanchamp, Walter de, sheriff of
Worcestershire, 271, note; mar-
ries Emmeline, heiress of Urso
d'Abitol, 272.

• William de, deprived of the

viscounty of Worcester, re-
stored, 272, note; restored by
Stephen, ib.; made constable of
Gloucester in place of Milo, ib.
family of, earls of Warwick,

and barons of Powick, 272, note.

Beauvais, bishop of, captured, 308.

Becket, Thomas a, archbishop of
Canterbury, attends a council
■ at Tours, 288; withdraws from
England, ib.; his quarrel with
the king, 291; is restored, 292;
his martyrdom, 293-295; canon-
ised, 301; translation of, 318.

Bede, the venerable, born, 27 and
note ; educated by Benedict
Biscop, 28 ; ordained priest, 33,
34; began his history, 35; com-
posed his book of computation,
38; death of, 40.

Bedford, Britons defeated at, 7;
castle of, taken, 318.

Belesme, Robert de, in command
at Rochester, 187 j revolts

INDEX.

467

against William Rufus, 210; for-
tifies Bridgnorth, iV;.; also
Shrewsbury, Arundel, and Tick-
hill, ib.; defeated and outlawed,
211; holds out in Normandy,
214; at Carisbrook and at Ware-
ham, 22").

Benedict Biscop, j:^oes to Rome,
16; his second journey, 21; be-
comes a monk at Cologne, ib. ;
his third journey to Rome, 221 ;
appointed to the abbey of St.
Peter, 22; resigns his abbey, ib.;
returns and receives lands at
Wearmouth, 23, 24 ; his fourth
journey, 20; brings over John
the chanter, ?7>. ; educates Bede,
28; makes Eusterwine his co-
adjutor abbot, ih.; his fifth jour-
ney to Rome, 20; his return, ib.;
appoints Ceolfrid to the abbeys
of Wearmouth and Jarrow, 28;
his death, 31.

Benevento, battle of, 344.

Bensington, battle of, 44.

Beocca conveys the alms of the
West-Saxons to Jiome, 79.

Bcorthun, .see Berthun.

Beohrt\\ulf, king of Mercia, 52;
defeated by the Danes, 54; his
death, 55.

Bt'orn, a Danish jarl, 148; mur-
dered by Sweyn, 149.

Boom, king of the East-Angles,
43.

Beornhelm, abbot, conveys the
alms of the West-Saxons to
Rome, 79.

Beornmod, bishop of Rochester,
48.

Beornrhed, king of Mercia, 43;
his death, ih.

]?eorht\vulf, king of Mercia, 52 ;
defeated by Egbert at Ellandun,
49; invades East-Anglia, 50;
his death, ih.

Beranbyrig, .<ee Banbury.

Berengaria, queen of Richard I.,
306.

Berengaria, daughter of Edward
I., born, 350.

Berht sent by Ecgfrith to ravage
Ireland, 28.

Berhtferth slays St. Wigstan, 54.

Berhtfrith, general of Osred, de-
feats the Piets, 30.

Berhthun, expels Ceadwall from
Sussex, 29; slain by Ceadwall,
30.

Berthun, bishop of Dorchester, 46.

Berthwald, .^ee Brihtwald.

Bernard, bishop of St. David's,
227.

St., his death, 287.

du Neuf-.Marche, his inroad

into Worcestershire, 189.

Bornicia, description of, 385;
genealogy of the kings of, 380;
series of earls, 387.

Berwine superintends his uncle
Wilfrith's domains in the Isle
of Wight, 30 and note,

Betti, a priest in Mercia, 17.

Bigod, Roger, carl of Norfolk,
his death, 346.

William, perishes in the ship-
wreck of the Blanche-nef, 232.

Biorn, murdered by Sweyn, 148,
149.

Birinus, first bishop of the West-
Saxons, 14 ; fixes his see at
Dorchester, ih.; baptises Cyne-
gils, ib.; Cuichelm and Cuthred,
15; his death, 10.

Birtric, see Brihtric.

Biscop, see Benedict Biscop.

Bishops of London and York de-
clared Metropolitans, 9

lists of, 39, 415—423 ; pre-
cedence of, 458.

Bisi, bishop of the East-Angles,
24 ; assists at the synod of
Hatfield, ih.

Blanche of Castile, married to
Lewis of France, 310; distich
on her and the legato, 319.

sister of I'hilip IV., proposal

of mari-iago to, by Edward L,
402; her refusal, 403.

Blethyn succeeds his father, Grif-
fvth, 106 ; ravages Hereford,
171.

F F 2

468

INDEX.

Bobbio, monastery of, founrled, 8.
Bohemia, kini^ of, slain, 358.
Boniface, archbishop of Canter-
bury, 322; consecrated, 324;

his death, 347.
bishop of the East- Angles,

16 24.
St., ordained bishop of Mentz,

37; founds the abbey of Fulda,

41; anoints Pepin as emperor,

42 ; martyrdom of, ib.
Bosa, bishop of the province of

Deira [York] on the expvilsion

of Wilfrid, 26; Acea, his pupil,

30; his death, 30.
Bosel, bishop of the Hwiccas

[Worcester], 2S; retires, 32.
Bosilius, abbot of Melrose, his

death, 21.
Botilda, see Ingeborg.
Botolph, St., founds the monastery

of Ikanhoe, 17.
Bovines, battle of, 316.
Brabant, John, duke of, married

to the princess Margaret, 379.
Braose, William de, dies at Paris,

314.
Breedon, Worcestershire, arch-
bishop Tatwine a monk there,

3.9.
Brentford, battle at, 129.
Breogwine, archbishop of Canter-
bury, 43; his death, ib.
Bretwaldas, names of the eight,

50, 51.
Brian, count of Brittany, 173.
Bridget, St., dies in Ireland, 5.
Brihteah, bishop of Worcester,

189 ; his death, 142.
Brihtmser, bishop of Litchfield,

his death, 142.
Brihtric, king of Essex, marries

Eadburh, 46. 57; his death, 48.

57.
• falsely accuses Wulfnoth,

117.
ealdorman, slain by order of

Canute, 134.
Briiitwald succeeds archbishop
Theodore, 33; consecration of,

ib.; his death, 39.

Brihtv.'old, bishop of Wilton, 111;
his death, 146.

Bristol, Stephen, marches there,.
262 ; the empress Maud stays
there, 263; cruelties perpetra-
ted at. ib.

Briton, Richard, one of the mur-
derers of Becket, 203.

Britons implore aid from the Ro-
mans against the Scots and Picts,
1 ; build a wall of turf, //;. ; their
letter to Aetius,2; worried by the
Picts, lb.; inviteover the Angles,.
ib. ; defeated by Hengist and Hor-
sa at Aylesford ; by Hengist and
QEsc at Crayford, ib.; defeated
at Wippedsfleote, near Mear-
credes-burn, 4 ; at Andredsceas-
ter, ib.; at Cerdices-ora, at Cer-
dices-ford, and Cerdices-leah,
5; at Salisbury, 6; at Banbury,
ib.; at Bedford, 7; at Dirham,
ib. ; at Fritherne, ib. ; at Wod-
nesbeorh, 8; at Beandune, 10;
by Oswald, ih.; by Cenwalch on
the Parret, 18 ; by Centwine in^
the West, 28; by Ina, 33; by
Ethelbald and Cuthred, 41; at
Burford by Cuthred, 42; by
Cynewulf, ib. ; by Egbert in the
West,49; at Gavulford,Devon,'iZ;.

Bromholm, pilgrimages to, 318.

Bruce, Robert de, claims the crown-
of Scotland, 382.

Brunanburh, battle of, 97.

Bryda, son of Port, arrival of, 4.

Burford, battle of, between Cuth-
red and Ethelbald, 42.

Burgh, Hubert de, defeats the
French fleet, 317; imprisoned^
S20; reconciled with the king,
ib.; his death, 323.

Ravmond de, death of,

320.

Burhelm, ealdorman, slain, 49.

Burhred, king of Mercia, 55; sub-
dues the North Welsh, ib : mar-
ries the daughter of Ethelvvulf,
56; driven from his kingdom by
the Danes, 68; goes to Rome,.
ib. ; liis death, ib.

INDEX.

4G9

Bury St. Edmund's, sanctuary vio-
lated by Sweyn, 128 ; a boy
murdered by the Jews there,
303; monks introduced. 309;
tower of the abbey church blown
down, 314 ; the buri^hiTs pro-
mise contribution to kinj^ John,
315; Hu<j;h elected abbot, 310 ;
the town partly burnt, 317 ;
prior Herbert o6., 318; Richard
de risle, abbot, ib. and 320 ;
his death, ib.; succeeded by
prior Henry, »/'.; Gre,q;ory
made prior, ib.; petition of the
friars-preachers for a house in
the liberties dismissed, 521 ;
prior Grcf;^oryo6., succeeded by
Daniel, 323; prior Daniel ob.,
succeeded by Ivichard vVt-NV'ood,
■/■/>. ; new die for coining granted
ID the abbey, 324 ; abbot Henry
ob., 325; succeeded by Edmund
de Walpole, ib. ; prior Richard
ob., 327; election of Simon de
Luton, ib.-y imposition on the
a,bbey, 329 : abbot Edmond ob.,
t/;.; prior Simon elected abbot,
■ib. ; tirst who went to Rome for
confirmation, 330 ; friars-mi-
nors endeavour to establish
themselves, ib. ; Robert Russell
-elected prior, 331 ; friars-mi-
nors forcibly intruded, ih. : suit
between convent and Richard
de Clare, 332 : bishop of Nor-
■\vich takes sanctuary, 334 ;
■withdrawal of the friars-minors,
i'l. ; extortion from tlic convent
l)y Henry HI., 338: Joiin earl
"VVarrenne antl \\ illiain de \a-
lenco fine the town and abbey,
340; quarrel between the con-
vent and the borough, iA.; visit
of Henry III and the legate
Ottoboni, and council tliere,
342 ; plundered by outlaws from
VAy, 343; tixation of tiio abbot
and convent, 344 ; new slu'ine
for St. Edmund's relics. 345; the
grant, of inspection of weights
and measures, ib.; Henry ill.

there eleven days holding a
council, 350; pdgrimage of
Edward I. and his queen to, 354;
the prior's chapel dedicated,
355 ; tax exacted from the abbot
and convent, ib. ; visit of Ed-
ward I., 359 ; goldsmiths and
others carriedoff to London, ib.;
illegal proceedings of John de
Cobham and Walter de Heliun,
3G0 ; the abbey possessions se-
questrated, ib. ; John, abbot-
elect, returns from Romt', 302 ;
a new cliarter granted, 304;
contribute to a foiced loan, ?6');
violent storms of thunder ajid
lightning, 370 ; pilgrimage of
Ed>\ ard I. and his queen, 372 ;
grants a new charter, with in-
spection of weights and mea-
sures, ib. ; the refectory struck
by lightning, 376 ; visit of Ed-
ward 1., 377; Thomas Weyland
takes sanctuary, ib.; the docu-
ments as to Scotland sent to
Bury, 383 ; Edward I. keeps the
feast of St. Edmund there,
401 ; illegal inquisition into pro-
perty, 404 , heavily taxed, 406,
4i.7; election of abbot Wode-
ford, 409

Byhrthelm, bishop of Wells, 101 ;
made bishop of Winchester, rV^;
chosen arciibishop of Canter-
bury, ib. ; deposed, 102 ; his
death, 105.

bishopof Wells, his death, 105.

Byhrtnoth, ealdorman, resists the
exi)ulsion of the monks, 106 ;
slain at the battle of Maldon,
109.

Byrnstan, bishop of Winchester,
r( signs, 97 ; his death, ib.

Cicdmon, the Saxon poet and
monk, 28.

Calixtus, |)ope, 230; holds a coun-
cil at Rheiins, 231 ; imprisons
(iregory, the anti-pope, 233;
his death, 2.36.

Cable, synod at, and accident
there, 107.

470

INDEX.

Cambridge, part of burnt, 356.
401.

Canons, monks substituted for,
103, 104, 309.

Canterbury made St. Auf^ustine's
see, 8 ; destroyed by fire, 42;
plundered by the Danes, 120;
destruction of Christ Church, ih.

Canute, 122 ; elected king, 123 ;
is driven from Lindsey, 124 ;
mutilates his hostages, ib. ; lands
at Sandwich, 125 ; ravages Wes-
sex, ih.\ invades Mercia, ib.;
ravages Buckinghamshire, &c,,
126 ; causes Uhtred to be mur-
dered, ib. ; makes Egric earl of
Northumberland, ib. ; returns to
his ships, ih.; chosen king by the
clergy and nobles, 127 ; besieges
London, ib. ; defeated at Pen,
ib ; gains the battle of Scears-
tan, 128; again besieges London,
ravages Mercia, 129 ; gains the
battle of Assandun, 130 ; his
conference with Edmund, 131 ;
they divide the kingdom, ib. ;
declared king of all England,
132 ; employs Edric to murder
the etheling Edwy, ib. ; divides
England into four governments,
133; banishes Edwy the etheling,
and Edwy king of the churls,
ib. ; marries Emma Elgiva, 134 ;
causes Edric Streon, Northman,
and others to be slain, ib.\ goes to
Denmark, ib. ; returns and dedi-
cates a church at Assandun, ib. ;
bribes the Norwegians to desert
their king, 136 ; expels St.
Olaf, ib.: banishes the jarl
Hakon, ib ; goes to Rome, ih.;
his letter describing his journey,
137-139; gives Norway to
Sweyn, 140; Denmark to Har-
dicanute, ih.; his death, ib.

Canute IV., son of Svend
Estrithson, arrives in the Hum-
ber, 173; prepares to invade
England, 184; murdered, 185;
his bones enshrined, 204.

Caradoc - ap - Griffyth destroys

king Edward's hunting seat,
at Portskewith, 166.

Cardigan, battle at, on the Tivy,
251.

Carlisle rebuilt by William Rufus,
194; destroyed by fire, 399.

Carloman, king of the West-
Franks, his death, 74.

Carrum, see Charmouth.

Castles and fort resses built by the
Conqueror, 172 ; statute res-
pecting, 268 ; razed to the
ground, 302.

Catharine, daughter of Henry III.,
born, 328.

Ceadda, bishop of the Mercians, 17;
raised to the see of York, 20;
retires to Lastinghara, 22 ; sub-
mits to catholic ordination, ih. ;
receives the sees of Mercia and
Lindisfarne, ih. ; founds the mon-
astery of Bearu we; his death, 23.

Ceadwall, king of the Britons,
defeats king Edwin, 13 ; defeats
Osric, king of Northumbria, ih. ;
slays Eanfrith, ib. ; slain by
Oswald, ih.

Ceadwall, king of Wessex, slays
Ethelwealh, king of Essex, 29 ;
succeeds Centwine in Wessex,
30; his genealogy, ib.; subju-
gates the South-Saxons, ib. ;
with his brother Mull ravages
Kent, ih. ; bestows a fourth of
the isle of Wight on Wilfrid,
ih.; again ravages Kent, ih.;
retires to Rome, 31 ; his bap-
tism and death, ih.

Cealchythe, synod at, 46.

Ceaulin, with his father, Cynric,
defeats the Britons at Banbury,
6 ; begins to reign, 7 ; defeats
Ethelbert at Wimbledon, ib.;
defeats the Britons at Dirham
and Fritherne, ih.; defeated at
Wodensbeorh and expelled, 8 ;
his death, ih.; the second Bret-
walda, 50.

Cecci, coadjutor bishop in East-
Anglia, 24.

Cedd, successor of Mellitus, 11 ;

INDEX.

471

baptises the ^rulr11e-AnG;los, 17 ;
made bishop of the East-Saxons,
ib.; founds the monastery at
Lastini^ham, ib. ; assists at the
synod of Whitbv, 19 ; renounces
the Scots, 20; his death, 21.

Cehbacy of the clergy enforced,
217. 239; their concubines
amerced, 313.

Cenbryht, father of Ceadwall,
death of, 19.

Cenred, king of Northurabria, 37;
his death, ib.

Centwine,king of theWest-Saxons,
26; routs the West-Britons, 28;
his death, 30.

Cenwalch, king of ^yessex, 15 ;
founds the see of Winchester, {6. ;
expelled by Penda, ib.-, bajjtism
of, IG ; his return, ib. ; routs the
Britons at Pedrida, 18; divides
the see of Wessex, 19; his death,
23.

Ceol, king of Wessex, 8.

Ceolburh, abbess of Berkeley, her
death, 48.

Ceolfrid, abbot of Jarrovv, 28 ;
appointed abbot also of Wear-
muiith, by Benedict Biscop, 31;
his death 37.

Ceollah, bishop of the Mercians,
18.

Ceolnoth, archbishop of Canter-
bury, 51; his death, 62.

kinjr of Mereia, 35 ; fights

with Ina at Wodnesbeorh, 37 ;
his death ib.

CeoKvulf, king of Mereia, 9 ; ex-
pulsion of, ib.

a thane, made king of Mereia

by tlie Danes, ()9.

king of Northumbria, 39 ; his

genealogy, ib. ; l^ede's History
dedicated to him. ib. ; becomes
a monk, 41 ; his death, 43.

king of Wessex, 9 ; his wars,

!_ I

9, 10 ; iiis death, 10.

Ceolwulf, bishop of Lindisfarne,
47.

Ceorl, ealdorman of Devon, de-
feats the Danes, 54.

Cerdic lands -uith his son Cynric,
4, 5 ; defeats the Britons at Cer-
dices-ora, ib. ; and at Cerdices-
ford, 5 ; begins to reign, ib ; de-
feats the Britons at Cerdices-
leah, ib. ; takes the isle of
Wight, ib. ; his death, ib. ; his
genealogy, 0.

Cerdices-ford, battles at, 5.

Cerdices-leah, battle at, 5.

Cerdices-ora, 4 ; battle at, 5.

Chillons, council of. 226.

Charford, see Cerdices-ford.

Charles-le-Gros reunites the em-
pire of Charlemagne, 74 ; his
pedigree, ib. ; his death, 75.

of Anjou elected king of

Sicily, 336 ; gains the battle of
Benevento, 344 ; expulsion of
from Sicily. 369 ; his death, 371.

Charmouth, Egbert defeated by
the Danes at, 51 ; Etlielwulf
defeated by the Danes at, 52.

Chatillon, Reynold de, beheaded
by order of Saladin, 304.

Cherbury built, 92.

Chertsey abbey founded, 25.

Chester restored by Ethered and
Ethelfleda, 88.

Hugh, earl of, invades An-
glesey, 204.

Ranulf, earl of, his death,

320.

Richard, earl of, perishes by

shipwreck. 232.

Chesterfield. Alontfort's adherents
routed at, 339.

Chiche, or St. Oswythe, a priory
in Essex, 235.

Chichester burnt, 225.

Christiana, sister of Edgar ethel-
ing, in Hungary, 133; in Scot-
land, becomes a nun at Ramsey,
184.

Cirencester, battle of, 13 ; the
abbey begun, 228.

Cissa, son of vElla, 4.

succeeds (jiuthlac at Croy-

land, .36.

Cistercians, bounty of Rich;n-d I.
to, 305 J excommunicated, 313.

472

INDEX.

Clappa reigns in Bernicia, 6.

see Osgocl,

Clare, see Gilbert de.

Richard de, his lawsuit Avith

the convent of St. Edmund's,
332; his death, 333.

Clarendon, constitutions of, 288
and note.

Clergy, decrees enforcing discip-
line, 217. 238.

Clermont, council of, 202.

Clifford, Roger de, captured by
the Welsh, 364.

Clovesho, synod of, 49.

Clythwic, a king of the Britons,
submits to king Edward, 95.

Cobham, John de, holds an inqui-
sition at Bury St. Edmund's, 360.

Cocksfoot, Anfrid, a Norman, 155.

Coenwald, bishop of Worcester,
his death, 101.

Coinage, severe laws respecting,
216 ; put in execution, 286 ;
new, of round shape, 303 ; a
new, 324; die for granted to
St. Edmundbury, ih. ; Jews ar-
rested for clipping and forging
base coin, 359 ; the Jews and
some Christians hanged, 360 ;
round farthings coined, 361
and note.

Coinmeail and Condidan, British
kings, 7.

Colchester taken from the Danes
and repaired, 94.

Colman, bishop of the Northum-
brians, 19 ; attends the synod
at Whitby, ih. \ returns to Scot-
land, 20.

Columba, St., arrival of in Britain,
7; converts the northern Picts,
ih.

Columban, St., founds the monas-
teries of Luxeuil and Bobbio, 8.

Comets, 26: two, 39. 60. 80.88.
106. 111. 168. 203. 214. 219. 247.
336.

Comyn, John, competitor for the
croAvn of Scotland, 383.

William, in battle of the

Standard, 264.

Constance,of Brittany, gives birth

to prince Arthur, 304.
Constantine, king of the Scots,

defeated by Athelstan, 97 ;

gives his son as a hostage, ih. ;

defeated at Brunanburh, ih.
Cornwall, Richard earl of, see

Richard.
Cosmeiini, see Kharizmians.
Cospatric, tiiane, murder of, 167-
conducts Edgar etheling, &c.,

to Scotland, 172.
Council, at Clermont, 202 ; Bari

205 ; Rome, ih.\ of Lateran, 223

at Chalons, 226 ; Rheims, 231

Tours, 288 ; Clarendon, ih.

of Lateran, 303; Lyons, 324

in the Temple, 339 ; at Lyons,

Coutances, see Geoffrey, 178.

Crayford, battle at, 3.

Crecanford, see Crayford,

Crema, John de, papal legate, 23S
and note.

Crida, his death, 8.

Crispin, William, captured at Tin-
chebrai, 215.

Crusade, preached by pope Ur-
ban IL, 202; names of the
leaders, ih.\ Nice taken, 203 ;
also Antioch, 204; and Jerusa-
lem, 205 ; chdose Godfrey de
Bouillon king, ih.\ battle of
Ascalon, ih.

Cuichelm, bishop
26.

brother of

death, 8.

son of Cynegils, fights with

the Britons at Beandune, 10 ;
Penda at Cirencester, 13; bap-
tism of, 15.

Cumbra, slain by Sigeberht, 42.

Cuithelm, king of Essex, suc-
ceeds Sigeberi, 17.

Cutha, Avith his father Ceaulin,
defeats Ethelbert at Wimbledon
and atFritherne, 7; his death, ih.

Cuthard, bishop of Liudisfarue,
85; his death, 91.

Cuthbert, bishop of Hereford and

of Rochester,
Ceaulin, his

INDEX.

473

archbishop of Canterbury, 41 ;
liis death, 43.

St., becomes a monk at Mel-

rose, 16; is removed to Lindis-
iarne, 20; becomes an anchorite,
20; made bishop of Lirdisfarne,
29; his consecration, ib.; retires
to Farno, oo; his death, ib.\ dis-
interment of, ib.; translation of,
'M. Ml.
Cuthburh, sister of Ina, and wife
of Aldfrith of Northumbria,
founds Wimborne Abbey, 37.

Cuthi'a, son of Cuichelm, his
death, 19.

Cuthred, king of Kent, his death,
48.

Cuthred, kinrr of Wessex, 41;
joins Ethelbald in a battle with
the Britons, ib.\ battle with
Ethelhun, 41; battle of Bur-
ford between him and Ethel-
bald of Mercia, «6.; defeats the
Britons, ib.; his death, ib.
Cuthwine, son of Ceaulin, with
his father, defeats the Britons at
Dirham, 7.

Cutwulf defeats the Britons at
Bedford, 7.

('wenlmrh, sister of Ina, 37.

Cymclu^eac, a British bishop, cap-
tured by the Danes, 91 ; re-
deemed, ib.

Cymen, son of iElla, 4.

Cymeues-ora, ib.

<Jy meres-ford, battle there be-
tween the Mercians and men
of Wilts, 48.

Cyneboi't, bishop of Lindsey, 39.

bish()[) of Winchester, goes

to Rome, 48.

Cyneferih, bishop of Lichfield, his
death, 07.

Cyncfriih, queen of the East-
Angles, 47.

Cyn<;gil«, king of Wessex, 10; de-
feats the Britons at Beandun,
ib.; fights with Penda at Ciren-
cester, 13 ; baptism of, 14.

Cyneheard, bishop of Winchester,
42.

Cyneheard murders king Cyne-
wulf, 45 ; his death, 40.

Cynethryth, queen of Offa, causes
the murder of Ethelbert of East-
Anglia, 47.

Cvneward, bishop of Wells, 105;
"his death, 100. 108.

Cvnewold, bishop of Worcester,
"99; his death, 101.

Cyuewulf, bishop of Lindisfarne,
succeeded by Higbald, 45; his
death, ib.

the etheling slain by Ina,

37.

king of Wessex, 42 ; defeats

the Britons, ib.\ defeated by
Offa at Bensington, 44 ; slain at
Merton, 45, 40.

Cynrcd, king of Mercia, 34; goes
to Home and becomes a monk,
35.

Cynric, son of Cerdic, arrives
Avith his father, 4; defeats the
Britons at Cerdices-ora, ib.\
begins to reign with his father,
5; defeats the Britons at Cerdi-
ces-ford, ib. ; at Cerdices-leah,
ib.; takes the isle of Wight, ib.;
defeats the Britons at Searcs-
byrig (Sarum), 0 ; his genealogy,
ib. ; defeats the Britons at Ban-
bury, with Ceaulin, ib.

Cynric, etheling, slain, 54.

Damianus, bishop of Bochester,
22.

Damietta, siege and capture, 318;
retaken, 319; Lewis IX. there,
325.

Danegelt, imposed by Ethelred,
111; remission of by Edward,
150.

Danelag, the, 134.

Danes, their first landing, 40;
they plunder Sheppey, 57; de-
leat Egbert at ( liarmoutii, ib.;
land in Cornwall, ib.; dcl'cated
at Hengestesdune, 52; defeated
by Wulfhard, at Soutliaiupton,
ib.; defeat Ethclhclrn on Port-
land, ib.; the ealdorman Here-

474

INDEX.

berht slain by them, 52 ; slay
many in London, Canterbury,
&c., ib.', defeat Ethel vvulf at
Charmouth, ib.; (^feated at the
mouth of the Tarret, 53; de-
feated at Wic ;anbeorh, 54; they
winter in Sheppey, ib. ; devastate
Canterbury and London, ib.;
defeat Berhtwulf, king of
Mereia, 55; are defeated at
Ockley, ib.; at Sandwich, ib.;
defeat and slay Ealhere and
Huda in Thanet, ib.; sack Win-
chester, 59; winter in Thanet,
and ravage Kent, ib.; winter
in East-Angha, 60; assault
York, ib.; invade Mereia, 61;
winter at Nottingham, ib. ; make
peace with the Mercians, ib. ;
return to York, ib.; winter at
Thetford, ib.; murder king
Edmund, ib. ; march to Reading,
62; defeated at Englefield, ib.;
defeat E their ed and Alfred at
Reading, ib.; defeated at Ash-
down, 63; defeat Ethelred and
Alfred at Basing and Merton,
64; defeat Alfred at Wilton,
67; make peace with him, ib.;
and with the Mercians, 68;
winter in Lindsey, ib. ; at Rep-
ton, ib.; drive Burhred from
Mereia, ib.; subjugate Mereia,
and make Ceolwulf king, 69;
go to Northumbria and Cam-
bridge, ib.; defeated at sea, by
Alfred, 69; go to Wareham, ib.;
Alfred makes a treaty with them,
ib.; they proceed to Exeter,
ib.; subjugate and divide Nor-
thumbria, 69,70 ; parcel out Mer-
eia, 70; winter at Chippenham,
71 ; defeated by Alfred at Eth-
andun, ib. ; make peace, ib. ;
remove to Cirencester, 72;
to Fulham, ib.; settle in East-
Anglia, ib.; some go to Ghent,
ib.; battle with the French, they
go up the Maese, 73; defeated
at sea by Alfred, ib.; ascend
the Scheldt and winter at Conde,

ib.; they ascend the Somme to
Amiens, ib.; besiege Rochester,
ib.; return to France, ib.; de-
feat Alfred!s fleet at the mouth
of the Stour, 74; defeated in
Old Saxony, z6.; Paris besieged,
proceed to Chezy, 75; battle
with the Britons, ib.; defeated
on the Dyle by the emperor
Arnulf, t6.; land in Sussex, 80;
enter the Thames, ib.; those of
Northumbria and East-Anglia
violate the treaty, ib.; defeated
by Alfred at Farnhara, 81; they
besiege Exeter, 82; under Has-
tings defeated at Benfleet, ib.;
ravage the neighbourhood of
Chichester, ib.; march to Shoe-
bury, 83; plunder along the
Thames and Severn, ib.; de-
feated at Buttington, ib.; pro-
ceed to Chester, ib.; plunder
North Wales, 84; occupy the
isle of Mersey, ascend the
Tliames and the Lea, ib.; retire
to Quatbridge, ib. ; go into East-
Anglia and Northumbria, 85;
infest the coasts of Wessex, ib. ;
defeated at Holme, 87; under
Eric and Ethelwold, plunder
Mereia, ib.; defeated by king
Edward, 88; make peace at
Yttingaford, ib.; defeated at
Teotenheal, 89; ravage Oxford-
shire and Herts, 90; enter the
Severn from Brittany, ib. ;
capture the Welch bishop
Cymelgeac, 91; defeated by
the men of Herefordshire and
Gloucestershire, ib.; plunder at
Watchet and Forlock, ib.; go to
Ireland, ib.; those under Thur-
kytel submit, ib.; assault Tow-
cester, 92; construct a fortress
at Tempsford, and besiege Bed-
ford, 93; are defeated and re-
pulsed at Wingingamere, ib.'y
their power on the decline, ib.;
besiege Maldon, ib.; their armies
from Cambridge and Stamford
submit, 94 J their king Reignald

I

INDEX,

to

submits to king Edward, 94 ;
they devastate Southainj)ton,
Thanet, atid Cheshire, 107; rifle
Padstow, plunder Devon and
Cornwall, ib.; ravaj;e Portland
and burn London, 108; ravaije
Watchet. 109; sack Ipswich,
ib.; gain the battle of Mal-
don, lb.; receive tribute, i6. ;
their fleet defeated, 110; they
sack Bamborough, 110 ; ravage
Lindsey and Northumbria, ib. ;
attack Loudon and plunder
and waste in Essex, Kent, &c.,
Ill; receive trilmte and winter
at . Southampton, ib. ; enter
the Severn, ravage Cornwall
and Devon, 112 ; land in the
Tamar and burn Tavistock
abbey, ib. ; ravage Dorsetshire,
plunder Sussex ami Hants, ib. ;
besiege Rochester and ravage
Kent, ib. ; sail to Normandy,
113; repulsed at Exetei', ib. ;
gain a battle at Penho, ib. ;
ravage the isle of Wight, Hants,
and Dorsetshire, i6. ; receive tri-
bute, ib. ; general massacre of,
114; they take Exeter, ib. ;
sack Wilton and Salisbury, ib. ;
burn Norwich and Thetford
115 ; battle with Ulfkytel, ib. ;
they land at Sandwich, and
ravage the country, 117 ; land
in Thanet, ib. ; receive contri-
bution in Kent, ib. ; proceed to
the isle of Wiirht, Sussex, and
Hants, ib. ; they plunder on the
borders of the Thames ; 117 ;
repulsed from London, ILS ;
burn Oxford, land at Ipswich
and defeat the East-Anglians,
119 ; burn Thetford aud Cam-
bridge, devastate Oxfordshire,
ib. ; burn Northampton, plunder
Wiltshire, ib. ; take and sack
Canterbury. 1*20 ; under Sweyn.
land at Gainsborough, 121 ; pro-
ceed against the East-McM'cians
and take Oxford, 122 ; march
to Winchester and London, ib. ;

repulsed from London, proceed
to Wallingford and Bath, ib. ;
ravage Warwickshire, land at
Sandwich under Canute, and
ravage Wessex, 125 ; invado
Mercia, ib. ; ravage. Bucking-
hamshire, &c., 126 ; are de-
feated at Pen, 127; fight with
Edmund at Sceorstan, ib. 218
and note ; at Brentford, 129;
ravage Mercia, ib.', are defeated
at Oxford, 130; gain the battle
of Assanclun, ib.; their fleet,
except 40 ships, sent home, 132.

Daniel, bishop of Winchester, 34;
goes to Rome, 38; resignation
of, 41 ; his death, 42.

David consecrated biiihop of Ban-
gor, 231 . 273.

Fitzmartin, bishop of St.

David's, 401.

king of Scotland, accession

of, 235; invades England, 263;
defeated in the battle of the
Standard, 264.
— of Scotland, celebrates Easter
at Windsor, 288.
-prince of Wales, in arms with

his brother, 364; capture aud

execution of, 368.
Degsastan, battle of, 9.
Deira, kingdom of, founded, 6. 448.
Deneberht, bishop of Worcester,

48 ; his death, 49.
Denewlf, bishop of Winchester, 72;

his origin, ib. ; his death, 88.
Desmoulins, Roger, master of the

Hospital, comes to England, 303.
Despenser, Hugh le, slain at the

battle of Evesham, 337.
Deusdedit, archbishop of Canter-
bury, 16; his death, 20.
Devil, the, made a monk, 256.
Dirham, battle at, 7.
Diuma assists in converting the

Middle- Angles, 17; first bishop

of the Mercians, 18.
Domesday-book made, 184.
Donald, l^ing of Scotland, repels

the I'.ngli^h, and is exj)elled by

Duncan, 196; restored, 198,

470

INDEX.

Doi'chester. see of, founded, 14.
426 and note ; translated to Lin-
coln, 1S)4.

Ducket, I^awrence, murder of, 371.

Duduc, bishop of Wells, his death,
161. See note, 421.

Dufnal, kincr, pays homage to
Edgar, 105.

Dunbar, Patrick de, competitor
for the crown of Scotland, 383.

Dunberht, bishop of Winchester,
his death, 72.

Duncan (king of Scotland), 186;
expelled and restored, 196 ; his
death, 198.

Dunn, bishop of Eochester, 41.

Dunstan, St., his birth, 96 ; coun-
sels Edmund, and is made abbot
of Glastonbury, 98; goes into
exile, 100 ; is recalled, 101 ; made
bishop of Worcester, ib. ; and
of London, ib. ; raised to the
see of Canterbury, 108 ; goes
to Rome, //;. : his deaths 109 ;
his prophetic speech at the coro-
nation of Ethelred, 126.

Dunstan, a Northumbrian thane,
insurrection of, 166.

Dunwich, see of East-Anglia
founded there, 14.

Duodenae, or Dusze, guild of, at
Bury St. Edmund's, taxed, 365.

Durand, his arrival in England,
314.

Durham, see of, removed from
Lindisfarne, 112.

Dusblane, an L'ish pilgrim, arri-
val of in Cornwall, SO.

Eaba rebels against Oswy, 19.

Eadbald, king of Kent, his pa-
ganism, 10 ; conversion, 11 ;
death, 15.

Eadberht rebels against Oswy, 19.

succeeds St. Cuthbert at

Lindisfarne, 31; his death and
burial, 34.

bishop of the East- Angles, 39.

king of Kent, 38; his death,

42.

Eadberht Pren, king of Kent,

47 ; taken by Cenwulf, king of
Mercia, ib.

Eadberht, king of Northumbria, be-
comes a monk, 43; his death, 44.

Eadburh, daughter of Ofra, 46 ;
married to Beorhtric, of Wessex,
ib. 57; account of, 46. 57;
death of, ib.

mother of king Alfred, 61.

Eadfrid, bishop of Lindisfarne,
34; his death, 38.

Eadgar, see Edgar.

Eadmund, see Edmund.

Eadnoth, bishop of Dorchester,
slain at Assandun, 131.

bishop of Dorchester, 139;

liis death, 149.

the horse-thane, defeated and

slain by the sons of Harold, 172.

Eadred, bishop of Lindisfarne,
148; his death, ib.

Eadred, see Edred.

Eadsige, archbishop of Canter-
bury, 141; anoints king Ed-
ward, 145; his death, 150.

Eadulf, bishop of Crediton, his
death, 96.

Eadwine, see Edwin.

Eadwold, thane, slain, 88.

Ealdbryht, the etheling, slain by
Ina, 38.

Ealdhun, see Aldhun.

Ealdred, bishop of Lindisfarne,
99; his death, 103.

bishop of Worcester, 147;

defeated by Griffyth, prince of
Wales, 149; goes to Rome, 150 ;
administers the see of Hereford,
158; consecrates the abbey of
Gloucester, 160 ; goes to Jeru-
salem, ib. ; raised to the see of
York, 161 ; accompanies Tos-
tig to Rome, ib. ; consecrates
Wulfstan, 163 ; espouses the
cause of Edgar, the etheling,
170 ; submits to William the
C onqueror, ib. ; crowns him, 171 ;
crowns Matilda, 172 ; his death,
175.

Ealdulf, archbishop of York, 109;
his death, 114.

I

INDEX.

477

EaMwulf, king of the East-An-
gles, 21.

Ealhere, the caldornian, defeats
the JJanes, 55 ; slaia bv them,
ib.

Ealhstan, bishop of Sherborne,
assists in the subjugation of
Kent, 49 ; defeats the Danes at
the mouth of the Parret, 53 ;
conspires against Ethehvulf,
56 ; his death, (50.

Eahlswith, queen of Alfred, GO.
CO ; her death, 8S.

Eanbald, archbishop of York, 45.
4S.

Eanberht, bishop of Lindisfarne,
53 : his death, 50.

Eantlede, daughter of Edwin,
born, 12 ; baptised by Pauli-
uus. ih. ; founds the monastery
of GiUing, 18.

Eanfrith, king of Northumbria,
8 ; slain by Ceadwall, 13.

Eanulf, ealdorman, defeats the
Danes, 53; conspires against
Ethclwuir, 50.

Eardulf, bishop of Lindisfarne,
50. Ill; his death, 85.

Earmenfred, papal legate, 175.

East-Anglia, iledwald, king of,
defeats Ethelfrith, 10 ; conver-
sion of Eorpwald, 13 ; Felix,
first bishop of, 14 ; settled by
the Danes, 72. 80 ; they submit
to Edward the elder, 04.

Easter, disputes concerning, 13.

19 ; at lona, 37.

East- Saxons, Sigebert, king of,
baptised, 17.

Eata, al)bot of Melrose, receives

- St. Cuthbert, 10 ; founder of

Ki[)on minster, 20 ; made abbot

of Lindisfarne, ib. ; succeeds

Wilfred as bishop of liernicia,

20 ; returns to Hexham, 28 ;
his death, 29.

Eathied, bishop of Lindsey, 26 ;
returns from Lindsey and is
made bishop of llipon, ib. 28.

Eatheric, bishop of Dorchester,
his death, 139.

Ebcrger, bestows the abbey of
St. Martin, at Cologne, on the
Scots, 105.

Ecgbert, archbishop of York, 41 ;
his death, 44.

bishop of Lindisfarne, his

death, 49.

the pilgrim, sends Willibrod

as a missionary to Germany,
32; reforms th(; celebraiion of
Easter at lona, 37; his death, 39.

Ecgberht, see, Egbert.

Ecgferth, son of Offa, consecrated
king, 40 ; succeeds his father,
47 ; his death, ih.

Ecgfrid, king of Northumbria,
marriage of, 19; succeeds iiis
father Oswy, 22 ; expels Wil-
frid from his see, 2(5 ; battle
with Ethelred of Mercia, 27 ;
founds the monastery of Jar-
row, 28 ; sends Berht to ravage-
Ireland, ib. ; his death, 29.

Ecgrid, bishop of Lindisfarne,.
50 ; his death. 53.

Ecgrig succeeded Sigebert in
East-Anglia, 14 ; slain in battle
by Penda, ib.

Ecgwin, bishop of the Hwiccas
(Worcester), 33; founds the-
abbey of Evesham, ih. ; accom-
panies Cenred of Mercia, and
Otfa of Essex, on their pilgiim-
age to Rome, 35; his death,.
37.

Eclipse of the sun, 5 bis. 41. 52.
72; singular description of, 248
and vole. 275. 312. 333.

of the moon, .")(). S7. 205. 332.

347. 350. 303, twice. 376, 377.
,381.

Edbald, bishop, 47.

Edgar, king of England, born, 98;
chosen king by the Mercians
and Nortliumbrians, KX) ; re-
calls Dunstan, ib.; succeeds to
the entire kingdom, 101; sum-
mary of his acts and character,
102;' marries EU'tlirith, ib.; his
family, ib. ; consecrated and
anointed at liath, 104 ; sail*

478

INDEX.

round Britain to Chester, ib.;
receives homage from eight
kings, 105; his death, naval ad-
ministration, and character, ib.,
106.

Edgar, king of Scotland, 203 ; his
death, 215.

. Etheling, his birth, 133; sub-
mits to William the Conqueror,
170 ; goes with his family to
Scotland, 172; joins the sons of
Sweyn, 173; is reconciled with
William the Conqueror, 177 ;
goes to Apulia, 184; in Scot-
land, 193 ; goes to Normandy,
194; sent with an army to Scot-
land, 203.

bishop of Lindsey, 26.

Edgitha, queen of Edward the
Confessor, confined in Wher-
well Abbey, 152; restored, 154;
causes Cospatric to be mur-
dered, 167 ; takes refuge in
Wales, 170; her death, 178.

Edmund, king, brother of Athel-
stan, assists at the battle of
Brunanburh, 97; succeeds to the
crown, 98; takes possession of
the " Five Burghs," ib ; takes
Northumberland into his own
hands, ib. ; gives Cumb'^rland
to Malcolm of Scotland, 99; his
death, ib.

Ironside, marries the widow of

Sigeferth, 125; takes arras with
Edric Streon in vain, ib ; with-
draws to Northumberland, 126;
ravages the country, ib.; chosen
king by the Londoners, 127 ;
gains a battle at Pen, ib.; fights
a battle at Sceorstan, 128; raises
the siege of London, 129; gains
the battle of Brentford, ib. ; and
of Oxford, ib. ; defeated at As-
sandun, 130; holds a conference
with Canute, 131; divides the
kingdom with him, ib. ; his death,
ib.

Edmund, St., king of East Anglia,
martyrdom of, 61 j apparition
to Sweyn, 123.

Edmund, abbey of, see Bury.

son of Edmund Ironside, sent

to Hungary, 133 ; returns to
England, 159; named successor
to the crown, ib. ; his death, ib:

son of Harold, lands in So-
mersetshire, 172.

St., archbishop of Can-

terbury, 320; consecrated, 321;
his death, 322; canonised, 324;
translation of, ib.
— bishop of Lindisfarne, 135;
his death, 148.

of Almaine, earl of Corn-

wall, his marriage, 350; receives
knighthood, ib.; appointed re-
gent till the return of Edward
1 , 351.

son of Henry III., born, 324;

proposed for king of Sicily, 328,
329; visits the Holy Land, 347;
marries the queen of Navarre,
356; goes with an army to Gas-
cony, 411.

Edmundsbury, church of, conse-
crated, 139.

Ednoth, bishop of Dorchester,
121.

Edred, bishop of Lindisfarne, his
death, 148.

king of Wessex, accession

of, 99; subjugates Northumbria,
ib.; receives the oath of fealty
from the Scots, ib. ; ravages
Northumbria, ib. ; his death,
100.

Edric the Forester, account of,
171; reconciled to William I.,
175; attends him to Scotland,
177.

king of Kent, 29; his death,

30.

Streon, murders OElfhelm,

115; made ealdorman of Mer-
cia, 116 ; his character and
family, ib.; treacherously fur-
thers the escape of the Danes,
118; causes Sigeferth and Mor-
car to be murdered, 124; seeks
the life of Edmund the etheling,
125; submits to Canute, ib.; is

INDEX.

479

made carl of Northunibria,
12G; his base stratagem at the
battle of Sceorstan, 128 ; his
treachery at the battle of Assan-
dun, 130; is employed by Ca-
nute to murder the etheling
Edwy, 132; advises the murder
of Edmund's sons, 133; made
ealdorman of Mercia, ib.; slain,
134.

Edward, ealdorman of East-An-
glia, 59.

' the Elder, his birth, 66; ac-
cession of and summary of his
acts, 86; his children, ib.; de-
feats Eric and Ethelwold, 87;
makes peace with the Danes at
Yttingaford, 88; ravages Nor-
thumbria, ih. ; defeats the Danes
at Teotenheal, 89; at Wodnes-
feld, ib.; founds Hertford and
"VVitham, 90; reduces Bedford,
and builds a town on the Ouse,
91; restores Maldon, 92; builds
Towcester, ib.; restores Hun-
tingdon, ib.; the Danes at Cam-
bridge and Stamford submit to
hira, 94; he repairs Nottingham,
95; receives the submission of
the Mercians and of three Welsh
kings, ib. ; founds a town at
Thelwall, ib. ; restores Manches-
ter, ib.; deposes his niece Elf-
wina, ib.; builds a town on the
Trent, ib ; and at Bakevvell, ib.;
receives the submission of the
kings of Denmark and Scotland,
ib.; and of the king of Strath-
clydc, ib.; his death, 90.

the Confessor, son of Ethel-
red, sent to Normandy, 122 ;
visits England, 140; returns to
England, 144; succeeds to the
throne, ib. ; is anointed king,
145; seizes his mother's trea-
sure, ib ; collects a fleet against
Z^Iagnus of Norway, 147; re-
mits tlie Danegelt, 150; con-
test with Godwin and his sons,
153; their recont-iliaticju, 154;
is present at the dedication of

Westminster Abbey, 107 ; bis
death, ib ; translation, 345.

Edward, son of Edgar, 103; elected
king, 100; his death, 107; re-
moval of his body to Shaftes-
bury, ib.

son of Edmund Ironside, sent

to Hungary, 133 ; returns to
England and dies, 159.

I. born, 321 ; knighted.

327 ; married, 328 ; signs the
Provisions of Oxford, 331 ; raises
an army to oppose the barons,
335; takes Northampton, /A.; is
made prisoner at the battle of
Lewes, ib.; escapes, 330 ; gains
the battle of Evesham, 337; re-
covers the isle of Ely, 343; takes
the cross, ib.; quarrel between
him and the earl of Gloucester,
345 ; their reconciliation, ib. ;
compact with the king of France,
ib. ; embarks for the Holy Land,
340; makes a treaty with the
piince of Tunis, 347; arrives in
Sicily, ih.; stabbed by an as-
sassin, 351; visits the pope on
his return, 352; arrival in Eng-
land and coronation, 353; visits
Bury St. Edmund's, 354 ; in-
vades Wales, 357; visits Bury
St. Edmund's and Norwich, 359;
his arbitrary proceedings at
Bury, 300; he does homage for
Ponthieu, 361 ; cedes Normandy,
lb.; prepares to invade Wales,
304; raises a forced loan, 305;
seizes the subsidy for the Holy
Land, 307; subjugates Wales,
308; visits Bury St. Edmund's,
371 ; resides in France, 376;
his return, 377; claims the su-
zerainty of Scotland, 382; visits
Bury St. Edmund's and Wal-
singham, 397; grants a charter
to St. Edmund's, 398 ; visits
Bury, 401 ; proposes marriage
to Blancheof France, 402; raises
forces, 403; causes a general
in<piisition into all j)roperty,404;
seizes the alien monasteries, 405 ;

480

INDEX.

demands half their revenue from
the clerj^y, 406; sends a naval
armament to Gascony, 407;
consents to peace with France,
408 ; vain attempts to extort
money, 409; sends an expedi-
tion to Gascony, 411 ; goes
towards Scotland, ib.

Edward II. born at Carnarvon,
370.

Edwin and Morcar expel Tosti,
168; attempt to proclaim Ed^ar
etheling-, 170; submit to Wil-
liam the Conqueror, 171; their
rebellion, 177; death of Edwin,
ib.

Edvvine, king of Northumbria, 11 ;
attempts made to assassinate
him, 12; conversion of, ib.;
slain, 13; the fifth Bretwalda,
60.

ealdorman of Wessex, his

death, 108.

earl of Mercia, drives Tostig

from Lindsey, 168 ; escapes
from the battle of Hastings,
and sends his sister, Harold's
queen, to Chester, 170; submits
to William the Conqueror, 171.
a thane, killed by the

Welsh, 142.

Edwy, the etheling, his life at-
tempted by Canute, 132 ; is
banished, 133; slain, ih.

brother of j^lfric, slain, 118.

king of the churls, banished

by Canute, 133.

king of Wessex, 100 ; the

Mercians and Northumbrians
renounce their allegiance to,
101; separated from Elgiva, ib.-,
his death, ib.

Egbert, king of Kent, his acces-
sion, 20; his death, 21.

king of Mercia, 47.

king of Wessex, 48; ravages

the western Britons, 49; defeats
Beornwulf of Mercia at Elian-
dun, 49; expels Baldred from
Kent, ib.; subjugates Kent, Sur-
rey, Sussex, and Essex, 50;

assists the East-Angles against
the Mercians, 50 ; subjugates
Mercia, ib.; Northumbria sub-
mits to him, ib. ; the eighth
Bretwalda, ib.; subjugates North
Wales, 51 ; defeated by the
Danes at Charmouth, ib. ; de-
feats the Danes at Ilengestes-
dun, 52; his early history and
death, ib.

Egfert, see Eegferth.

Eglaf, a Danish chief, 117.

Egstein [EysteinJ, bishop of Tron--
dhjem, an exile in England, 308.

Egwina, mother of king Athelstan,
88.

Eleanor of Brittany, her death,
323.

of Castile, married to prince

Edward I., 328; her death,
380.

— daughter of Henry IL, born,
288.

— daughter of Edward I., born,
346; married to the count of
Bar-le-Duc, 401.

of Guienne, divorced from

Lewis, king of France, 287 ;
married to Henry II., then duke
of Normandy, ib.; her children
by him, ib., 288 ; visits Aus-
tria, 307; besieged by Arthur,
311; her death, 312.

— of Provence, marries Henry
III., 320; her kindred unpopu-
lar, 331. 334; goes abroad after
the battle of Lewes, 335.

— mother of Edward I., a nun

at Amesbury, 374; her death,

381.
Eleutherius, see Leutherius.
Elfgiva, see Emma.
of Northampton, Canute has

Sweyn by her, 140.
— : — or Elfwina, daughter of

Ethelfleda, by Ethered, 49 ;

stripped of her territories, 95.
Elf here, see ^Ifhere.
Elfleda, daughter of Oswy, a nun,

18.
Elfric, see ^Ifric.

IXDEX.

481

Elfridn, wife of Eds^ar, founds St.

Cross at Winchester, '2S3.
Elfrith, dautchtor of Alfred, 66.
Elgitha. .src Eilgitha.
Eli^iva, (jueen of king Edwy, sepa-
rated from him by Dunstan,
101.

Ellas, abbot of St. Martin's, 144,
145.

Elizabeth, dauj^hter of Edward I.,
born at IlluuUllan, 307.

EUandun, battle of, 49.

Elswitha, Alfred's queen, 60 j her
death, 88.

St., queen of kin": Edmund,

08. 100.

Ely, Ethelfrith, abbess of, 24 ;
made an episcopal see, 219 ;
treatment of the bishop by king
Stepiien, 261; the bishop joins
earl Rohert, 267; cathedral of,
dedicated, 327 ; the isle seized
by the adherents of Montfort,
341 ; blockade of, raised by tho
earl of Gloucester, 342 ; sur-
renders to prince Edward, 343;
a synod at, 380.

Emma (Eifgiva), daugiiter of
Richard I., duke of Normandy,
married to Ethelred, 113, 114;
sent with her sons to Nor-
mandy, 122; is married to Ca-
nute, 134; stripped of her trea-
sures by iier son Edward, ib.;
her children, 140; banished, 141 ;
her death, 152.

Englefield, battle of, 62.

Eohric, see Eric.

Eomer attempts to assassinate
king Edwin, 12.

Eormenburg, St., Merewald's
queen, 25.

Eormengild, St., queen of Wulf-
iiero, 24.

Eorpwald, king of tho East-
Angles, conversion of, 13; his
death, ib.

Eowils, brother of kinnr IIin£ruar,
slain, 80.

Erconberht, king of Kent, 15 ;
destroys idols and observes

Lent, -ib. ; his death, 20 ; his
family, 24.

Ercongote, St., daughter of Er-
conberht, 15.

Erconwald, St., bishop of London,
20. 24, 25; founds Chertsey and
IJarking abbeys, ib.

Eric, with the etheling Ethelwold,
plunders Mercia, 87 ; defeated
and slain, 88.

made king of Northumbria,

90.

made earl of Northumber-
land, 133.

Ermenfrid, bishop of Sivon, legate
in England, 174.

Essex, Geotfrev Fitz-Peter made
earl of, 310. "

Ethandun, battle of, 71.

Ethelhard, Icing of Wossex, 38 ;
battle bewoen him and the
etheling Oswald, 30; his death,
41.

Ethelbald, king of Mercia, 37 ;
tights against the Britons with
Cuthred, king of AVessex, 41;
battle of Burford between him
and Cuthred, 42; his death, 43.

^ king of Wessex, son of

Ethelwulf, defeats the Danes at
Ockley, 5r); conspires against
his father, 56 ; the kingdom
divided, ib. ; succeeds his father,
50 ; mai-ries Judith, ib. ; his
death, ib.

Ethelbert, king of theEast-Angles,
murder of, 47.

— — king of Kent, begins to reign,
7 ; battle at "Wimbledon be-
tween him and Ceaulin, ib.;
conversion of, 8 ; gives Can-
terbury to St. Augustine, ib.;
his death, 10; the^hird 13ret-
walda, 50.

king of Kent, 38. 43.

l<ing of Northumbria, 44 j ex-
pulsion of, ib.

king of Wessex, 50 ; his death

and character, ib.

archbishop of York, 44 ; his

death, 45.

C G

482

INDEX.

Ethelbert, bishop of Whitherne,44.
Ethelburg, abbess of Barking, 20.

25.
queen of Edwin, 12 ; flies

with Paulinus to Kent, 13.

queen of Ina, destroys Taun-

ton, 38.

St., death of, 20.

Etheldrid, see Ethelthryth.

Ethelfleda, lady of' the Mercians,
Alfred's daughter, 66 ; marries
Ethelred, ib. ; restores Chester,
88; builds forts at Sceargate
and Bridgenorth, 89 ; restores
Tamworth, ib. ; builds Stafford,
ib ; Eddesbury and Warwick,
90 ; Cherbury, Wedbury, and
Runcorn, 92 ; takes Brecknock
and the Welsh king's wife, ib. ;
storms Derby, 93 ; Leicester
and York submit to her, 94 ;
her death and character, ib. ;
she is buried at Gloucester, 95.

the Fair (Eneda), wife of

Edgar, 103.

Ethelfrith, king of Northumbria,
8 ; defeats Aidan at Degsastan,
9 ; slays the monks of Bangor,
ib. ; killed, 10.

'Ethelgar, bishop of Crediton, his
death, 100.

bishop of Selsey, 107 ; raised

to the see of Canterbury, 109 ;
succeeded by Sigeric, ib.

Ethelgiva, daughter of Alfred, 66 ;
made abbess of Shaftesbury, 77.

Ethelhard, archbishop of Canter-
bury, 47 ; goes to Rome, 48 ;
his death, ib.

Ethelhelm, the ealdorman, defeats
the Danes at Portland Island,
52.

conveys the alms from Wes-

sex to Rome, 76.

Ethelhere,kuig of the East- Angles,
17 ; slain in battle, 18.

Ethelhun, bishop of Worcester,
90 ; his death, 95.

expels Ceadwalla from Sus-
sex, 29.

ealdorman, battle between

him and Cuthred, king of Wes-

sex, 42.
Ethelmund, ealdorman,* slain in

battle with the Wiltshire men,

48.
Ethelmar, ealdorman, his death,

134.
bishop of Elmham, 142 ; de-
posed, 174.
Ethelmere, ealdorman, his death,

108.

ealdorman, submits to Swevne,

122.

Ethelnoth, archbishop of Canter-
bury, 134 ; he goes to Rome,
135; his death, 141.

Ethelred, king of Mercia, 25 j
his family, ib. ; ravages Kent
and plunders Rochester, 26 ;
battles with him and Ecgfrith,
27 ; his queen, Oswyth, mur-
dered, 34; becomes a monk, ib.;
his death when abbot of Bard-
ney, 37.

Ethelred, king of Northumbria,
47 ; murdered, ib.

Ethelred, king of Wessex, his
birth, 103 ; accession, 107 ; he
besieges Rochester, 108 ; col-
lects a fleet, 110; ravages Cum-
berland and Man, 113 ; marries
Emma, ib. ; orders the Danes
to be massacred, 114 ; causes
Elfhelra's son to be blinded,
116 ; collects a fleet, 117 ; raises
an army, ib. ; sues for peace and
promises tribute, ib. ; repulses
the Danes from London, 122 ;
withdraws to the Isle of Wight,
and thence to Normandy, 123 ;
recalled to England, 124: pays a
subsidy to the fleet at Green-
wich, ib. ; drives Canute out of
Lindsey, ib. ; his death, 126.

Ethelred-Mucil, Alfred's father-
in-law, 60, 61.

Ethelric, son of Ida, king of
Northumbria, begins to reign,
8 ; his death,

bishop of Lindisfarne, 148 ;

his death, 177.

I>s'DEX.

483

Ethelric, bishop of Selsey, 134 ; his

death. 141.
bishop of Selsey, 159 ; con-
secrated, IGO; deposed, 175.
Ethelswith. sister of AUred, and

wife of Burhred, of Mereia, her

death, 79.
EthelLhryth, abbess of Ely, 24;

death of, 27 ; her corpse found

incorrupt, 33.
daughter of Anna, king of

East-Anglia, 19 ; married to

Ecgfrith, ib. ; becomes a nun at

Coldingham, 23.
Ethehvald, king of East-Anglia,

18: his death, 21.
or Orthelwald, king of De-

ira, 16 ; grants Lastingham to

Cedd, 17.
Ethelwalch, king of Sussex, slain

by Ceadwalla, 29.
Ethehvard, king of Wessex, 38 ;

fights with Oswald the etheling,

39; his death, 41.
the etheling, brother of king

Edward the Elder, G6 ; his

death, 95.

ealdorman, advises the pay-

ment of tribute to tlie Danes,
109 ; his mission to king Olaf,
111.

ealdorman, slain in the battle

of Assandun, 130.

employed to assassinate the

etheling Edwy, 132, 1:53 ; is out-
lawed by Canute, 134.

Etholwine, bishop of Durham. 159;
imprisonment of, 177 ; his death,
ib.

bishop of Lindsey, 2G.

ealdorman resists the expul-
sion of the monks, lOG ; founds
Ramsey abbey, 109 ; his death
and character, iff.

( Odda), his death and charac-

ter, 15S.

murders king Oswine, ib.

Ethchvold, king of Sussex, receives
th(' isle of Wight from Wulf-
herc, 19.

the etheling, seizes Twine-

ham and Wimborne, 86; escapes

to Northumbria and is made

king of the Danes there, 87 ;

with Eric plunders Mereia, ib. ;

defeated and slain, 88.
Ethelwoid, Moll, see Moll.
. succeeds Cuthbert at Fame

island, 30.
bishop of Lindisfarne, 38 ; his

death, 41,
bishop of Winchester, 103 ;

counsels the expulsion of the

secular clergy, ib. ; ejects them,

309.
bishop of Winchester, 116 ;

his death, 103.

ealdorman, death of, 79.

Etiielwuif, king of Wessex, son of
Egbert, subjugates Kent, 4.9 ;
instructed by St. Swithin, 51 ;
succeeds his father, 52 ; de-
feated by the Danes at Char-
mouth, ib. ; defeats them at
Ockley, ^o ; sends Alfred to
Home, ib. ; his daughter mar-
ried to Burhred of Mereia, 56 ;
releases a tenth of his kingdom
from service and taxation, ib.;
goes with Alfred to Rome, ib. ;
marries Judith, ib. ; conspiracy
against him, ib. ; the kingdom
divided between him and Eth(4-
bald, 57; his will, 58; his death,
69.

ealdorman of Berkshire, de-
feats the Danes at Winchester,
59 ; and at Englefield, 62 ; his
death, ib.

Etherod, king of Wessex, 60 ;
marches against the Danes to
Nottingham, 61 ; defeated by
the Danes at Reading, 62 ; de-
feats them at Ashdown, ib. ;
worsted by the Danes at Ba-
sing, 64 ; and at Merton, ib. ;
his death, ib.

arcii bishop of Canterbury,

his death, 79.

eaUlorman of Mereia, Lon-
don placed imder him, 75 ;
opposes the Danes, 83 ; restores
G G 2

484

INDEX.

Chester, 88 ; his death and cha-
racttn*, 89.

Eu, AVilliam de, invades Glouces-
tershire, plunders Berkeley, 189;
deserts from Robert to William,
197; conspires against William,
201 ; vanquished in single com-
bat, and punishment of, ih.

Eustace, abbot of Haye, preaches
the observance of the Lord's
d;iy, 310 ; returns to France,

O-j T

bishop of Ely, 309; his death,

316.

count of Boulogne, lands

Dover, 150 ; engages in a fray
there, ih.

IT., joins the conspiracy

against William II, 187 ; joins
the crusades, 202 ; marriage of,
211.

son of King Stephen, be

trothed to the daughter of
Philip of France, 275.

de Falconberg, bishop of

London, his death, 319,

Eustachius, bishop of Trondbjeim,
see Egstein.

EusterAvine, co-abbot with Bene-
dict Biscop, 28 ; his death, 29.

Everhard, bishop of Norwich, 233

Evesham Abbey founded, 33. 35.

battle of, 337, 338.

Exeter besieged by the Danes, 82;
by king Stephen, 251 and note.

Famine among the Britons, 2 ; in
England, 106, 115.

Farthings coined, 361, and note.

Feader, a huscarl, slain by the
people of Worcester, 143.

Felix, first bishop of the East
Angles, 14 ; his see at Dun-
wich, ih. ; baptises Cenwalch,
16 ; his death, ib.

Finan succeeds Aidan, 16 ; con-
verts Peada, king of the Middle-
Angles, 17; baptises Sigebert,
king of the East-Saxons, ib. ;
his death, 19.

Finchhale, synod at, 46.

Fitz-Hubert, Robert, a freebooter

account of, 275, 278.
Fitz-Scrope, Richard, banished,

154; ravages the lands of Edi'ic

the Forester, 171.
Fitz-Osborne, WilHam, earl of

Hereford, 171.
Roger, marries his sister to

Ralph, earl of Norfolk, 177;

conspires against king William,

178 ; imprisoned, ih.

William, hanged at London,

308.

Fitz-Urse, Reginald, one of the
murderers of Becket, 293.

Five Burghs, the, recovered by
Edmund, 90 ; submit to Sv.eyn,
121 ; possessions of Sigefirthand
Morcar there, 125.

Flambard, Ralph, his dealings at
Hastings, 198 ; made bishop of
Durham, 205 ; his judicial ex-
tortions, ib. and 207 ; is com-
mitted to the Tower, 203 ; es-
capes to Normandy, ib. ; insti-
gates Robert, 209; his death, 234.

Flanders, Baldwin, count of, see
Baldwin.

• Robert, count cf, his death,

196.

William, count of, his death.

246.

Flemings settled in Wales by
Henry IL, 222 and note; irrup-
tions of, under Montfort, 301.

Florence, count of Holland, de-
feats the Flemings, 366 ; com-
petitor for the crown of Scot-
land, 383.

Florence of Worcester, his
death, 229 ; character of his
work, 230.

Forthere, bisl^p of Sherborne,
35 ; goes to Kome, 41.

Forester, Edric the, account of, 171.

bishop of Hereford, succeeds

Tyrthel, 36.

Frsena, a Danish jarl, slain at Ash-
down, 63.

an Anglo-Dane, his trea-
chery, 110.

INDEX.

48.J

Frascati, or Tu^culiim, SOT,. 31G.
Frederic I., emporor of German v,
sacks ^liiaii. 302 ; drowned In
the Cydnus, 305.

Frederic II., son of the emperor
Henry, his baptism, 308 ; made
kinj? ' of Sicily, 300 ; elected
emperor, 31(1; crowned, 318;
excommunicated, 319; marries
Isabel, sister of Henry III., 320;
excomnuinicatt'd, 324; deposed,
ib. ; besieges Parma, ib. ; routed
by the Parmesans, ib.; his
death, 326.

Frederic, pseudo-emperor, 370 ;
burnt. 373.

Friothulf. king of Bernicia, G.

Friars-minors, arrival of, 319 ;
establish themselves at IJury St.
Edmund's, 330 ; withdraw from
Bury, 3.S4.

Friars-penitent, Jew's synagogue
given to them, 3.30.

Friars-preachers, arrive in Eng-
land, 319 ; apply for a house of
residence at Bury St, Edmund's,
321 ; Robert de Heading, a friar
preacher, turns Jew, 3.34.

Frisians, the, converted by Wil-
fred, 27.

Frit heme, battle of, 7.

Frithestan, bishop of Winchester,
88 ; resigns, 97 ; his death, iO.

Frithewald, a monk, land granted
to,, by Oshere, 27.

a sub-king, 25.

Frithoberht, bishop of Uexham,
41 ; his death, 44.

Frithogist, an Anglo-Dane, his
treachery, 110.

Frithogith, queen of Wessex, goes
to Rome. 41.

Frithowald, bishop of Witherne,
41 ; his death, 43.

Fulda, abbey of, founded by Boni-
face, 41.

Fulk, archbishop of Dublin, his
death, 34S.

bishop of London, his death,

332.

Fulk, de Luvel, elected bishop of
London, .'>()3 ; resigns, ih.

Fursey, an Irish saint, arrives in
England; 14.

Gateshead, massacre at. 180. 182.

Gavulford (Camelf'ord?), battle of,
49.

Gay, Philip de, atrocities perpe-
trated by him at Bristol, 262.

Gamel, son of Orm, murdered,
167.

Gamelbearn, a Northumbrian
thane, rebels, 1G6.

Gebmund, made bishop of Roches-
ter, 20 ; his death. 3;].

Gelasius, pope, 229 ; his death,
230.

Geoffrey, archdeacon of Norwich,
shipwrecked in the Blanche-
Nef, 232.

archbishop of Rouen, his

death, 246.

a clerk of Norwich, cruel

treatment and death of, 315.
— bishop of Coutances, opposes
the conspirators against William
the Conqueror, 178 ; leagues
against William II., 187 ; holds
the castle of Bristol against
him. 189.

Ridel, bishop of Ely, 301 ;

his death, 205

Riddel, perislies by ship-
wreck in the Blanche-Nef, 232.

de Burgh, bishop of Ely,

319; his death, ih.

bisho]) of Hereford, 227 ; his

death, 230.

natural son of Henry II.,

made archbishop of York, 305 ;
is arrested at Dover, 306 ; with-
draws from England, 313 ; his
deatii, 304.

son of Henry II., born, 287;

is knighted, 302.

Gerard, bishop of Hereford, made
arch!)ishop of York, 208 ; at-
tends a council held by Anselm,
215 ; promises subjection to
Canterbury, 216; his death, 217.

486

INDEX.

Gcrent, Idiif^ of the Britons, de-
feated by Ina and Nun, 35.
Giifard, William, see William.
Gilbert de Clare, earl of Glouces-
tei', acts with pi'ince Edward
in the barons' wars against
Montford, 337, 338,342; takes
the cross, 343; quarrels with
prince Edward, 345; divorces
his wife, 348 ; marries his sister
to Edmund of Almaine, 350;
appointed regent, 351; marries
the princess Joan, 379; his
death, 409.

Fitz-Richard, taken at Tun-
bridge, 188.

John Fitz-, holds Marlbo-
rough, 276.

de Lacy, his enterprise at

Bath, 261.

a sheriff of Northumbria,

180; slain, 181.

de St. Leobhard, bishop of

Chichester, 376.

the Universal, bishop of Lon-
don, 245 and note,

bishop of London, excommu-
nicated, 292 ; moves the king
against Becket, ib.

St., founder of the order of

Serapringham, his death, 304
and note.

Richard Fitz-, slain, 251 and

note.

Giles, bishop of Hereford, with-
draws from England, 313; fetches
Eleanor of Provence, 320.

Gilling, monastery at, founded, 18.

Girvum, see Jarrow.

Gisa, bishop of Wells, 161.

5itha, Harolds mother, escapes
to Flanders, 172.

jlastonbury abbey, outrage at, 183.

jllomcorn, a Northumbrian thane,
insurrrection of, 166.

jloucester, the abbey, founded at,
160; dedication of, 206; city
burnt, 208; again burnt, 234;
royal visit to, 259.

Gloucester, Gilbert de Clare, earl
of, see Gilbert.

Gloucester, Robert, earl of, natural
son of Henry L, arrives in Eno;_
land, 269; at Marlborough, 277;
Bath, 278 ; takes Nottingham,
ih. ; takes Stephen prisoner, 279 ;
made prisoner in his retreat
from Winchester, 284; exchange
i^roposed for Stephen, 285.

Goda, slain by the Danes, 109.

Godfrey, consecrated bishop of
Bath, 235 ; his death, 249.

Godiva, wife of earl Leofric, her
munificence, 159.

Godwin, an Anglo-Dane, his trea-
chery, 110.

bishop of Rochester, taken

by the Danes, 120.

ealdorman, slain in the

battle of Assandun, 130.

earl, orders the etheling

Alfred to be barbarously treated
at Ely, 141 ; accused of the mur-
der by archbishop iElfric, 143 ;
presents a noble ship to Harde-
canute, ib. ; sent to sack Wor-
cester, 144 ; raises forces against
Eustace, count of Boulogne, 150 ;
enters Gloucestershire, and de-
mands the delivery of Eustace,
151 ; flees with his family to
Flanders, 152; raises auxiliaries,
153 ; comes to Southwark, 154;
he and his family restored, ib.},
his death, 155.

metropolitan of the Franks,

consecrates archbishop Bright-
wald and other English bishops,
33.

son of Harold, lands in Som-
ersetshire, 172.

Golc, count de, slain at Aix-la-
Chapelle, 358.

Goldsmiths imprisoned, 359.

Gosfrid, or Geoffre}', bishop of
Hereford, 2*/7 ; his death, 230.

Gower, battle in, 251 and note.

Gregorian chaunt, 183.

Gregory I., pope St., meets with
English youths in the forum, 6 ;
sends Augustine to England,
8 ; death of, 10.

INDEX.

487

Gregory II., pope, 37; his death. 39.

autipope, conlined iu a

mona:>tery. 233,

bishop of Dublin, consecrated

by the primate of England,
234.

Griffyth, prince of Wales, plun-
ders in the Severn with Irish
pirates, 149 ; defeats Ealdred,
bishop of "Worcester, ib. ; lays
waste Herefordshire, 152 ; in-
vades England, 156 ; makes
peace with Edward, 157 ; mas-
sacres the bishop of Hereford,
158 ; slain by liis own people,
166.

ap-Rhys, ravages in Wales,

227 ; his death, 252.

Grim, Edward, cross-bearer of
Becket, wounded in defending
his master, 294.

Grimbald, invited by Alfred, 68 ;
his death, 87.

Grimkytel, bishop of Selsey, 141 ;
his death, 147.

Groats, or great pennies, coined,
361 and note.

Guido, bishop of Sabina, legate to
England, 336; made pope, ih.

Gundulf, bishop of Rochester, 176;
attends a synod held bv An-
selra, 211 ; his death, 216.

Gunhilde, niece of Canute, 136 ;
banished with her sons from
England, 146.

Gurnay, Hugh de, delivers the
castle of Montfort to the king
of France, 311.

Gurth, son of earl Godwin, 155 ;
slain at Hastings, 170.

Gutliforth, king of Northurabria,
expelled by Athelstan, 96.

Guthcard, bishop of Selsey, his
death, 103.

Guthlac, St., becomes a monk at
Repton, 33 ; retires to Croy-
land, 34; his death, 36.

Guthmund, a Danisii chief, 109.

Gutlirum, winters at Cambridge,
69; baptism, ib. ; makes a treaty
with Alfred, 71 ; his death, 79.

Guy de Lusignan, king of Jerusa-
lem, 304.

Gwenlian, wife of Griffyth- ap-
Rhys, prince of South Wales,
252, note.

Ha?ddi, bishop of the West- Saxons,

26 ; his death, 34.
Hakon, jarl, banished by Canute,

136 ; perishes at sea, ib.
Ilalfdene, subjugates Northumbria,

69 ; settles colonies in it, ih.

brother of king Inguar,

slain, 89.

Hampton Lucy, a seat of the
bishop of Worcester, ruined by
a thunderstorm, 281.

Hanbury, monastery of, 25.

Hapsburgh, Rodolph, count of,
elected king of Germany,
353.

Hardecanute, son of Canute, suc-
ceeds his father in Denmark,
140 ; the southern part of Eng-
land assigned to him, ih. ; visits
Flanders, 142 ; becomes king of
England, ih. ; levies a heavy
subsidy for the fleet, 142 ; or-
dei-s Worcester to be burnt,
144 ; his death, ih.

Harold, a Danish jarl, slain at
Ashdown, 63.

hing of England, son of Ca-
nute, succeeds his father, 140;
seizes the treasures of Elfgiva,
ih.\ the northern part of England
allotted to him, ih. ; is elected
king of all England, 141 ; his
death, 142 ; his body disinterred,
143.

Hardrada, king of Norway,

147 ; invades ]'>ngland, 169;
joined by Tostig. ih. ; slain at
Stanford bridge, ih.

son of Svend, king of Den-
mark, arrives in the Humber,
173.

son of Godwin, enters the

Severn and plunders the coun-
try, 153 ; succeeds to his father's
earldom, 155; marches against

488

INDEX.

Griffyth and Algar, 157 ; forti-
fies Hereford, ib.-, makes peace
with Griffyth and Algar, ib. ;
reduces the Welsli to subjec-
tion, 1G4 ; erects a hunting-seat
for king Edward at Portskewith,
166 ; succeeds to the throne,
168; his just administration, ib.;
gains the battle of Stanford
bridge, 169 ; is slain at Hast-
ings, 170.

Harold, John Fitz-, deserts the
party of Stephen, 272.

Hasting, enters the Thames, and
fortifies himself at Milton, 81 ;
defeated at Benfieet, 82 ; his
wife and children taken prison-
ers, ib.

Hastings, battle of, 170.

John de, competitor for the

crown of Scotland, 383.

Hatfield, battle of, 13.

, synod of, 37.

Hathulac, bishop of the East- An-
gles, 39.

Heaberht, bishop of Worcester,
49; his death, 53.

earl, his death, 48.

Heahstan, bishop of London, his
death, 85.

Heathfield, battle, at 13.

Heathored, bishop of Lindisfarne,
49 ; his death, 50.

bishop of Worcester, 45 ; his

death, 47.

Heca, bishop of Selsey, 147; his
death, 159.

Helmstan, St., bishop of Winches-
ter, 51 ; death of, 52.

Heming, jarl, arrives at Tbanet,
117; receives tribute from Kent,
and makes descents on the isle
of Wight, Sussex, and Hamp-
shire, ib.

Henfrid, bishop of Winchester, 42.

Hengist and Horsa, arrival of, 3 ;
their genealogy, ib. ; defeat Vor-
tigern at Aylesford, ib. ; death
of Horsa, ib.

Hengist and iSsc begin to reign,
3 ; defeat the Britons at Cray-

ford, ib., and at Wippedesfleot,
4 ; defeat the Britons, 5 ; death
of Hengist, ib.

Hengestesdun, battle of, 52.

Henry, bishop of Liege, deposed,
363 ; murders his successor,
364.^

bishop of London, his death,

333.

de Blois, abbot of Glaston-
bury, bishop of Winchester, 246;
legate, 249 ; escorts the empress
Matilda to Bristol, 268 ; plots
for Stephen's release, 282; aban-
dons Matilda and sets fire to
Winchester, 283 ; retreats from
Winchester, 285 ; his soldiers
burn Wherwell Abbey, ib.

de Branteston, bishop of

Salisbury, 374 ; his death, 376.

duke of Saxony, goes to

king Henry in Normandy, 303 ;
arrives in England, 313.

III., emperor, makes war on

Baldwin of Flanders, 148.

V. of Germany, married to

Matilda, 219. 225 ; he imprisons
the pope, il). ; conventions be-
tween them respecting investi-
tures, 220—222 ; consecrated
emperor, ib. ; besieges Cologne,
226 ; his death, 236.

I., son of Vfilliam the Con-
queror, knighted, 184 ; seizes
Mount St. Michael, 192 ; acces-
sion and coronation of, 207 : his
reforms, 208 ; restores the laws
of the Confessor, ib. ; marries
Matilda, ib. ; makes peace with
his brother Robert Curthose,
209 ; besieges Belesme's castles
of Arundel and Bridgnorth, 210 ;
disputes with Anselra respecting
investitures, 211. 215 ; invades
Normandy, 213; burns Bayeaux,
ib.; takes Caen and returns to
England, ib. ; again invades
Normandy, 214; is reconciled
with Anselm, ib.; defeats Robert
at Tinchebrai, ib. ; reduces Nor-
mandy, 215; leads an army into

INDEX.

489

Wales, 226 ; en^agies in war with
France, 230 ; makes peace, ih. :
marries Alice of Lou vain, 233;
subjugates Wales, 234 ; his last
visit to Normandy, 241) ; his
death, ib. ; and burial, 250.
Henry 11. marries Eleanor of
Guienne, 287; marries his son
Henry to the daughter of Phili[)
of France, ib. ; holds a council,
and redresses [j^'levances, ib. ; has
his son Henry crowned, ib.; falls
sick and divides his dominions,
289; makes a pilgrimage, 290 ;
sends envoys to the pope to
clear himself from Becket's
murder, 29<i; goes to Ireland,
29 J; declares his innocence of
Becket's murder and does pe-
nance, 300; quarrel with his son
Henrv, .*)01; knights his son
Geoffrey, 302; and John, 303;
he takes the cross, 304; his
deatli, 305.

III., son of king John, born.

313; succeeds to the crown, and
coronation, 317; goes to i3rit-
tany, 320; marries Eleanor of
Provence, ib. ; he and liis queen
crowned at London, 321 ; goes
to Gascony, 323; in Scotland,
ib.; invades Wales, 324; con-
firms the charters, 328; goes to
Gascon}', ib. ; invades Wales,
330 ; signs the Provisions of
Oxford, 331 ; cedes his French
dominions, 332; quarrels with
the barons, 333; goes to Paris
and falls sick, ib.; wars with
the barons, 334, 335; taken
prisoner at the battle of Lewes,
335; released at Evesham, 337;
extorts money from the clergy,
341; besieges Kenilworth, 34(),
goes to Bury St. Edmund's and
to Cambridge, 342; proceeds to
London, 343; goes to Norwich
and punishes the rioters, .350;
his death, 351; removal of his
body, 37!>.
Henry I. of France, his death, IGl.

Henry, landgrave of Hesse, elected
king of (Germany, 324; defeats
Conrad, ib. ; his death, ib.

Longchamp, abbot of Croy-

land, 308.

de Sandwich, bishop of Lon-

don, 333; his death, 353.

son of Edward I., burial of.

353.

— son of Henry II., born, 287;
his marriage, ib. ; he is crowned
in his father's lifetime, 289;
fealty sworn to him, ib.; they
quarrel, 301; his death, 303.
d'Almaine, son of Richard,

earl of Cornwall, king of the

Romans, murdered at Viterbo,

347.
Heraclius, patriarch of Jerusalem,

comes to England, 303.
Herbert de Losinga, simonia-

cal bishop of Thetford, 197;

absolved at Rome, ib. ; transfers

the see to Norwich, ib. ; his

death, 230.
Ilereberht slain by the Danes,

52.
Hereford burnt, 259; the castle

surrendered to Ste))hen, ib.; set

on fire by Geoffrev Talbot,

2G0.

Roger, earl of, conspires

against WiUiam the Conqueror,
177.

Hereluve, abbess of Shrewsbury,
her death, 108.

Here ward, takes refuge in Ely,
177; escapes thence, ib.

Herfast, bishop of Thetford, his
death, 197.

Heriman, bishop of Wilton, 14(>;
goes to Rome, 150; resigns his
see, 158; transfers it to Salis-
bury, 170.

son of the kinjr of Ger-

many, drowned, 307.

archbisliop of Cologne, 156.

Hertford, synod of, 24; a castle
built there, 90.

Hervey, bishop of Bangor, at-
tends a synod held by Ansehn,

490

INDEX.

211; becomes the first bishop of
Ely, 219; his death, 247.

Hewalds, the, go to Old-Saxony
to preach, and suffer martyrdom,
33.

Higbald, bishop of Lindisfarne,
44; his death, 48.

Higberht, bishop of Litchfield,
46.

Hilda, St., abbess of Hartlepool,
18 ; founds Whitby abbey, i6.;
her death and character, 28.

Hildelith, abbess of Barking, 20.
25; Aldhelm dedicates to her
his book "De Virginitate," ih.

Hinguar, a Danish chief, 61. Ill;
his brother invades South Wales
and Devon, 70; is slain there,
ib,

Hlothere, king of Kent, 23; his
death, 29.

Holme, the Danes defeated at,
87. _

Honorius, pope, letter on the ob-
servance of Easter, »&c., 13.

Honorius, archbishop of Canter-
bury, succeeds Justus, 15; his
death, 16.

Horsa, see Hengist and Horsa.

Hornsey, a vill of the bishops of
London, 353.

Howel, king of the west Britons,
submits to Edward the Elder,
95; to Athelstan, 96.

Herbert, Robert Fitz-, 275; takes
the castle of Malmesbury, 276;
surrenders it to Stephen, «&.;
siu-prises the castle of Devizes,
ih. ; thrown into prison by John
Fitz-Gilbert, 277; delivered to
the earl of Gloucester, ih.-, and
hanged, 278.

Herbert, Fitz-Walter, bishop of
Salisbury, translated to Can-
terbury, 307 ; made papal legate,
ih.-, removed from the ofiice of
justiciary, 309 ; his death, 312.
Hexham, bishopric of, founded,
26.

Hubba, a Danish chief, 111.

Huda, slain by the Danes, 55.

Hugh, abbot of Reading, made
archbishop of Rouen, 246.

bishop of Chester, introduces

secular priests at Coventry,
309.

bishop of Durham, 289; sus-

pended by the pope, 292.

bishop of Ely, becomes a

monk, 311.

bishop of Ely, 319; con-
ducts Eleanor of Provence to
England, 320; his death, 328.

— — bishop of Ely, his death,
374.

of Grenoble, bishop of Lin-
coln, 304; compounds with the
king for the tribute of a mantle
of sables, 308 ; introduces
monks, 309; his death, 310.

■ bishop of Lincoln, con-
secrated at Melun, 314; his
death, 320.

— — de Evesham, created a car-
dinal, 369.

— — earl of Chester, invades
Anglesey, 204.

earl of Shrewsbury, slain by

Magnus III. of Norway, 204.

Hunwald, betrays king Oswine,
16.

Hunfrith, bishop of Winchester,
42; his death, ih.

Hwiccas (Worcestershire), 27, 32,
and note.

Hyring, first king of Northumbria,
385, 386.

Jacob, a tributary king to Edgar,
105.

Jainbert, archbishop of Canter-
bury, 43; receives his pall, 44;
loses a portion of his province,
46 ; his death, 47.

Jarrow, monastery at, founded,
28.

Jaruman, bishop of the Mercians,
19; sent to Sighere, king of
the East-Saxons, 21.

Ida, king of Bernicia, begins to
reign, 6 ; his sons and ge-
nealogy, ih.

INDEX.

491

Idle, river, battle of the, 11.

Jerusalem, pilgrimaj^^e to, 164;
taken by the crusaders, 205.

Jews, a boy sacrificed by them at
Bury, 303; many slain at the
coronation of Richard I., 305;
slain in various places, ib.; im-
prisoned, 314; executed at
Norwich, 322; plundered and
slain, 335; their synagogue
given to the friars de Poenitentia,
350; forbidden to practice
usury, 354 ; expelled from Cam-
bridge, 356 ; imprisoned, and
their houses searched, 359;
hanged for clipping the coin,
360 : a boy crucified by them, at
Northampton, 361; imprisoned,
375; expulsion of, 380.

Ikanhoe, monastery of, founded by
St. Botolph, 17.

Inimin rebels against Oswy. 19.

Ina, king of Wessex, restores
Glastonbury abbey, 31 ; his
genealogy, ib. ; makes peace
■with the men of Kent, 33 ; de-
feats Gerent, king of the Bri-
tons, 36 ; fights a battle with
Ceolred of Mercia at Wodnes-
beorh, 37 ; slays the etheling
Cynewulf, ib. ; builds Taunton,
38; fights with the South-Saxons,
ib.', slays the etheling Aldbriht,
ib.; abdicates and retires to
Rome, 39.

Inguald, bishop of London, 25. 89.

Ingeborg, queen of Philip II., 310.

Ingetling, i>ee Gilling.

Ingils, brother of Ina, death of,
37.

Interdict, Normandy laid under
an, 308 ; England laid under an,
313; it is taken oft", 310.

Inquisition, royal, into all pro-
perty, 404.

Investitures, lay. Urban II. holds
a council at Rome against, 205 ;
quarrel respecting, between
Henry I. and Anselm, 211, 212.
215 ; between i'ascal II. and the
emperor Henry Y., 219. 223 ;

decrees of the Lateran council
against, 223. 225.
Joan, daughter of Henry II., mar-
ried to William, king of Sicily,
302 ; to the count of St. Giles,
308.

daughter of Edward I., mar-
ried to Gilbert de Clare, earl of
Gloucester, 379; her eldest son
born, 381.

John, continuator of the chro-
nicle of Florence, 260.

John de Peckham, archbishop of
Canterbury, 360 ; visitation of
Norfolk and Suffolk, 363 ; Lin-
coln, 371 ; Ely, ib. ; his death,
399.

Comyn, archbishop of Dub-
lin, his voluntary exile, 309.

de Darlington, archbishop of

Dublin, 360 ; consecration of,
362 ; his death, 370.

de Saunford, archbishop of

Dublin, his mission to the em
peror, 406 ; his death, ib.

— Romanus,archbishop of York,
373 ; excommunicates the
bishop of Durham, 400.

— the precentor, accompanies
Benedict Biscop to England, 26.

bishop of Bath, attends a

council held by Anselm, 211 ;

buys the royalty of the city

from Henry L, 234 ; his death,

ib.
of Salisbury, made bishop of

Chartres, 302.
of Wells, bishop of Ely, 317;

his death, 319.
de Kirkby, agent of Henry 1.

in raising a forced loan, 364 ;

made bishop of Ely, 374; his

death, 378.

bishop of Hereford, his

death, 354.

bishop of Hexham, 29 ; suc-
ceeds Bosa in the see of York,
30 ; ordains Bede a deacon, 33 ;
a priest, 34; his death, 38.

de Chishull, bishoj) of Lou-

don, 353 ; his death, 363.

492

INDEX.

John of Oxford, bishop of Salis-
bury, 302 ; his death, 310.

de Grey, bishop of Norwich,

310 ; his death, 316.

bishop of Rochester, 236,

237.

— • bishop of Rochester, 357 ;
his death, 367.

of Old Saxony, invited by

Alfred, 68 ; made abbot of
Athelney, 77.

de Crema, papal legate, pre-
sides at the Synod, 238 j returns
to Rome, 240.

de Florence, papal nuncio,

collects a large sum of money,
holds a council at Reading, and
returns, 312.

de Pvmteyse, bishop of Win-
chester, 367.

John Sansterre, king of England,
son of Henry II., born, 288; is
knighted by his father, 304;
conspires against his brother
Richard, 306; succeeds to the
throne and coronation, 310;
marries Isabel d' Angouleme, ib. ;
their coronation, 311 ; he goes
to Ireland, 311 ; is again crovv'ned
at Canterbury, ih, ; goes to Nor-
mandy, ih.\ raises the siege of
Mirabeau, ihr, goes to Ro-
chelle, 312; makes a truce with
the king of France, and returns
to England, ih.; prohibits fowl-
ing, 313; alliance with the king
of Scotland, ih.\ is excommuni-
cated, 314; reduces Wales, ib.\
knights the prince of Scotland,
ib.\ his barons absolved from
their allegiance, 315; they pro-
mise fidelity to him, ib. ; he causes
the Welsh hostages to be hanged,
ib.; goes to Poitou, 316; war
with the barons, ib.; his death,
317. '

Joscelin, bishop of Salisbury,
excommunicated, 292; preju-
dices the king against Becket,i6.

Ipswich, burghers of, imprisoned
and fined, 372.

Ireland, a land of saints and mir-
acles, 24; ravaged by Berht,
28 ; John has the title of lord of,
310. -

Isabel d'Angouleme, queen of
king John, 310.

Ithamar, bishop of Rochester, 15.
17.

Juchil, king, pays homage to Ed-
gar, 105.

Judith, daughter of Cliarles the
Bald, married to Ethel wulf, 56;
seated on the throne, 57; mar-
ries Ethelbald, 59.

■ wife of Tostig, 152.

Justin, a Danish chief, 109.

Justus, consecrated bishop of
Rochester, 10; expulsion of, 11;
recall of, ib. ; raised to the see
of Canterbury, 12.

Jutes, their arrival in Britain, 3.

Juthwal, king of the Britons, sub-
mits to king Edward, 95.

Ive, St. death of, 9; invention of,
11; his rehcs, 113.

Kempsey, an oratory built there,
61 ; a vill of the bishop of Wor-
cester, 139.

Kenelm, king of Mercia, 49; mur-
der of, ib,

Kenilworth, fortified by the adhe-
rents of Simon de Montfort,
339; besieged by the royal
forces, 340; surrendered, 341.

Kenneth, king of the Scots, pays
homage to Edgar, 104.

Kenred, see Cenred.

Kenric, the etheling of Wessex,
slain, 42.

Kent, kingdom of, founded; ra-
vaged by Ceadwalla and Mull,
30 ; submits to Egbert, 49.

Kenulf, abbot, slain, 88.

bishop of AVinchester, 115 ;

his death, 116.

Kenulf, king of Mercia, 47 ;
ravages Kent and takes Eadbert
Pren prisoner, 48 ; his death, 49.

Kharizmians, battle between them
and the Christians, 323.

INDEX.

493

Kilian, abbot of St. Martin's at

Cologno, 103: his death, 114.
St., a Scot, bishop of Wiirz-

burg, 3G.
Kinewohl, see Cynewold.
Kine\\-iilf, see Cynewulf.
Kinsif^o, archbishop of York, 150j

his duuth, 101.
Ku'kby, John de, see John.
Knicjhthood, all possessed of forty

pounds inland to receive it, 4U0.
Kyneberp^, see Cyneberht.
Kynric, see Cynric.
Kyrtliugton, synod at, 107.

Lacy, Henry de, goes with an
army to Gascony, 411.

liogor de, seizes Hereford,

189 ; invades Worcestorsliire,
ib.; repulsed by bishop Wulf-
stan, 1!;0.

Walter de, opposes the earl

of Hereford, US.

Lancaster, earl of, see Edmund.

Lanfranc, archbishop of C;mter-
bui'y, \7'i ; consecrates Thomas,
Archbishop of York, ih. • ac-
companies him to Rome, ib. ;
crowns William II., 185 ; his
death, 191.

Langton, see Stephen.

La.stinghara, monastery at.founded,
20.

Lateran, council of, 223.

Laurence, archbishop of Canter-
bury, 10; scourged by St. Peter,
11 ; his death, ib.

bishop of Kochester, his

death, 353.

(]>ucket) murdered, 371.

Leicester burnt, 253.

Robert, earl of, made pri-
soner, SOL

Simon, earl of, see IMontfort.

Lent, fast of, observed, 15.

Leobwine. causes Liulf to be mur-
dered, ISO; is slain, 1S2.

Leof assassinates king Edmund at
Pucklecluirch, 'J!h

Leofgar, bishop of Hereford, slain
by the Welsh, 158.

Leofric, the Briton, bishop of
Crediton, 147.

made ealdorman by Canute,

134; sentbyllardecanutetosack
Worcester, 144 ; raises forces
against Godwin, 150; his death,
159; his character and munifi-
cence, ib.

Leofrun abbess, taken by the
Danes, 120.

Leofsy murders Eafic, and is
banished, 113.

bishop of Worcester, 133 ;

his death, 139.

Leofwine, bishop of Lichfield, 155.

dean of Durham, murdered

at Gateshead, 182.

son of eail Godwin, enters

the Severn and plunders the
country, 153 ; is slain at the
battle of Hastings, 170.

Leopold, duke of Austria, arrests
Richard I. and delivers him to
the emperor, 306; his death,
307.

Leuthcrius, bishop of Winchester,
21, 22 ; assists at the synod of
Hertford, 24 ; his death, 20.

Lewes, battle of, 335-

Lewis, king of the West Franks,
death of, 74.

Lewis VI., king of Fi'ance, his
death, 100.

VIL (Le-Gros), king of

France, his war Avith Henry I ,
280 ; divorced from Eleanor of
(juienne, 287 ; his letter to the
Pope respecting the murder'of
Rocket, 290 ; visits the tomb of
Becket, 303 ; his death, ib.

of France marries Blanche

of Castile. 310 ; lands in
England, 317 ; his army defeated
at Lincoln, ib. ; returns home,
ib.; succeeds to the crown of
France as J.,ewis VllL, 318 ; his
death, 319.

Lewis IX., king of France,
knighted, 313 ; tleparts for the
Holy Land, .S25 ; arrives at
Damietta and proceeds to Man-

496

INDEX.

Mercia, Penda, king* of, 13 ; con-
version of, 18 ; divided into five
dioceses, 27 ; submits to Egbei't,
50.

Mercredes-burn, battle of, 3.

Mereditli- ap-Llewellyn, rebellion
of, 406.

Merefin, son of Merewald, 25.

MereAvald, king- of the West Mer-
cians, 25.

Mei'ton, curious adventures at, 45,
46.

Merton, Etliered and Alfred
worsted by the Danes at, 64.

Meteor, 107^ 203.

Milan, earthquake and apparition
at, 228.

Middle-Angles, conversion of, 17.

Mildburh, :St., daughter of Mere-
wald, 25.

Mildgith, St., daughter of Mere-
wald, 25.

Mildtiiryth, St., daughter of Mere-
wald, 25.

Milo, constable of Gloucester,
269 ; joins earl Eobert, ib. ; Ste-
phen deprives him of his office
of constable, 272 ; with the earl
at T\Iarlborough, 277; his
liberality to the empress, 282 ;
created earl of Hereford, 283 ;
his flight from Winchester, 285.

Milred, bishop of Worcester, 41 ;
his death, 44.

Minborinus, abbot of St. Martin's
at Cologne, his death, 108.

Moll Ethc'ivvold, king of Northum-
bria, 43 ; slays the etheling- Os-
wine, ih. ; abdicates, 44.

Momerfield, Herefordshire, a ter-
rible thunderstorm near, 230.

Money and moneyers, see Coinage,

Monks substituted for canons,
103 ; introduced at Winchester,
ib, ; throughout Mercia, ib. ; at
Middleton, ib.; at Worcester,
104 ; at Coventry, 309 ; at Lin-
coln, ib. ; at St.Edmondsbury, ib.;
expelled from Canterbury, 312.

Montchesney, William de, partisan
' of Simon de Montfort, 337.

Montfort, Aimeri de, captured at
sea Avith his sister, 356.

Eleanor de, taken, ib. ; mar-
ried to Llev/ellyn, prince of
Wales, 358 ; her death, 365.

Guy de, marriage of, 347,-

murders Henry d' Almaine, son of
Richard, king of the Romans, ib.

— Henry de, a justice-in-eyre,
346.

— Simon de, chief of the mal-
content barons, 336 ; defeated
and slain at the battle of Eve-
sham, 337, 338 ; excommunica-
ted and absolved, 339 ; miracles
ascribed to him, ib.

— Simon de, the younger, plun-
ders Winchester, 337 ; is sur-
prised and defeated, ib. ; with-
draws to Axholm, 339 ; makes
peace and goes to France, ib. ;
murders Henry d'Almaine, 347.

— y\^illiam de, dean of St.

Paul's, sudden death of, in the
king's presence, 406.

Moon, extraordinary appearance
of, 40.

see Eclipse.

Morville, Hugh de, one of the
murderers of Becket, 293.

Morcar, earl of Northumbria, ex-
pels Tostig from Lindsey, 168 ;
escapes at Hastings and sends his
sister, Harold's queen, to Ches-
ter, 170 ; submits to William
the Conqueror, 171 ; revolts
and goes to the Isle of Ely, 177.

a tlaane, murdered l)y order

of Edric Streon, 124.

Mortimer, Ralph de, invades Wor-
cestershire, 189 ; repulsed by
bishop Wulfstan, 190.

Mortmain, statute of, 362.

Morton, Robert, earl of, revolts
against William XL, 186 ; holds
his castle at Pevensey, 188 ; op-
poses Henry in Normandy, 214;
made prisoner, 215.

AVilliam, earl of, forfeits his

lands in England, 213; is taken
prisoner at Tinchebrai, 215.

INDEX.

497

Mountain. Old Man of the, writes

ill exculpation of Ricliurd I.,

307.
Mowbray, Robert de, conspires

against William II., 187, 200;

burns and plunders Bath, 189;

taken, 201.
Muca, ealdorman, slain, 49.
Mucil, father of Elswitha, Alfred's

(jueen, 01 .
Mull, brother of Ceadwall, ravages

Kent, 30; burnt by the Kentish

men, ib.

Natanleod slain at Cerdices-ford,

o.
Newmarch, Bernard de, invades

Worcestershire, 189; repulsed

by bishop Wulfstan, 190.
New Forest, the, made, 20G ; Wil-
liam Rufus slain tliere, ib.
Nicholas, bishop of Frascati, in

England, 316.
bishop of Winchester, his

death, 362.
St., guild of, at Bury, SG5

and note.
[Nigel], bishop of Ely, escapes

from king Stephen, 260; joins

carl Robert, 274.
Norfolk, Ralph, earl of, conspires

against William the Conqueror,

177; takes refuge in Norwich,

178.
Roger Bigod, earl of, dies,

34G.
Roger Bigod, his marriage,

379.
Normandy, Rollo lands in, 70.
Norman, son of Lcofwinc, slain by

order of Canute, 34.
Normans expelled from the court

of Edward the Confessor, 154;

from Scotland, 197.
Northampton, a council at, 253;

a council and parliament at,

2r.s.

Northumbria, descrii)tion of, 385;
divided into four bishoprics, 40;
submits to Egbert, 50; kings of,
3SG: earls of, 387.

Norwich burnt by the Flemings,
301 ; taken by the adherents of
Montfurt, 342; thunder storm
at, 349; riots there and the
cathedral burnt, 349; punish-
ment of the rioters, 350; the
citizens fined, 3.56; Edward I.
at, 357, 359; money extorted
from the citizens, 365.

Nothelm, archbishop of Canter-
bury, 40; receives the pall, 41;
his death, ib.

Nottingham, sacked and burnt,
273, 279.

Nun, with his kinsman Ina, defeats
the Britons, 36.

Ockley, synod at, 45; the Danes
defeated at, 54.

Odda, see Ethelwine.

Odo, archbishop of Canterbury,
99 ; separates Edwy and Elfgiva,
101 ; his death, ib.

bishop of Bayeux left gover-
nor of England, 171 ; opposes
the conspirators against William
the Conciueror, 178; imprisoned,
183 ; foments revolt amongst
the nobles, 187 ; fortifies Roches-
ter, 188 ; flees to Fevensey, ib.

Offa, king of Essex, becomes a
monk at Rome, 35.

king of Mercia,43 ; his genea-
logy, ib. ; defeats the Kentish
men at Oxford, 44 ; defeats
Cynewulf, king of Wessex, at
Bensington, ib.\ causes Ethel-
bert of East Anglia to be mur-
dered, 47 ; his death, 47.

Oftfor, bishop of the Ilwiccas, 32;
his death, 33.

Ohter, jarl, slain, 89.

Olaf, St., king of Norway, expelled
by Canute, 136 ; slain, ib.

Olaf (Tryggvason), king of Nor-
way, defeated at Brunanburh,
97; cliosen king by the North-
umi)rians, 98 ; ba])lism of, ib. ;
exjx'lled by king Edmund, ib.

king of Norway, assaults

London, 110; phiuclers and de-
TI TI

498

INDEX.

stroys in Essex, Kent, &e., Ill ;
receives tribute and winters at
Southmapton, ib. ; is confirmed
at Andover, ib. ; promises not to
revisit. England as an enemy,
ib.

Oliver de Sutton, bishop of Lin-
coln, 362.

Ordgar, ealdorman, his death, 104.

Osbern, a Danish jarl, slain at
Ashdown, 63.

Pentecost, surrenders his

castle, 155.

Osbriht, bishop of Selsey, his death,
118.

king- of Northumbria, expul-
sion of, 60 ; unites with ylElla
against the Danes, ib. ; is slain
at York, ib.

Osburh, mother of Alfred, her
genealogy, 54; gives Alfred a
book of poems, 64.

Osfrith, queen of Ethelred, 27.

Osgod, Clappa, marriage of his
daughter, 144 ; is banished, 147 ;
plunders on the coast of Essex,
149.

Oshere, sub-king of the Hwiccas,
grants land to Frithewald, 28.

Oskytel, a Danish chief, Avinters at
Cambridge, 69.

archbishop of York, 101 ; his

death, 104.

O.ilac, Alfred's father-in-law, 54.

banished, 106.

Osmund, king of Sussex, 43.

bishop of Salisbury, his

death, 206.

Osred, king of Northumbria, 34,
37.

king of Northumbria, 47 ;

expulsion of, ib. ; murder of,
ib.

Osric, ealdorman, defeats the
Danes at the mouth of the
Parret, 53 ; and at Winchester,
59.

Mng of Northumbria, slain

by Ceadwall, 13.

king of Northumbria, 37 ; his

death, 39.

Osthryth, queen of Ethelred of

Mercia, murdered, 34.
Oswald, the etheling, 39.
Oswald, bishop of Worcester, 103 ;
substitutes monks for canons,
104 ; raised to the see of York,
ib. ; consecrates Ramsey abbey,
109; his death, ib ; translation
of, 88.

son of Ethelbald, battle with

Ethelhard, 39 ; his genealogy,
ib. ; his death, ib.

(St.) king of Northumbria, 8;

defeats Ceadwall, 13; invites
Aidan, 14 ; slain at Maserfeld,
15 ; his character, ib. ; the sixth
Bretwalda, 50 ; translation of
his body, 88.
Oswin, etheling, slain by Moll
Ethelwald, 43.

(St.) king of Deira, 15 ; his

character, ib. ; murder of, 16 ;
translation of, 166.
Oswulf, bishop of Winchester, his
death, 104.

bishop of Wilton, his death,

104.

king of Northumbria, 43 ;

his death, ib.
Oswy, king of Northumbria, 15 j
causes king Oswine to be mur-
dered, 16 ; defeats and slays
Penda at Winwidfield, 18 ; makes
his daughter a nun, ib. ; converts
the Mercians, ib.; subjugates
the Picts, ih.; is present at the
synod of Whitby, 19; his death,
22 ; the seventh Bretw^alda, 51.
— . — a thane, slain at Ringmere,

118.
Otford, battles at, 44, 130.
Otho I., emperor, marries Athel-
stan's sister, 97 ; sends gifts to
and forms an alliance with king
Edgar, 102.
Otho II. defeats the Saracens in
Greece, 108.

IV., consecration of, 309 ;

is crowned at Rome, 313 ;
arrives in England, 314 ; dis-
putes with the Pope, ib. ; is

INDEX.

499

excommunicated, ib. ; his mar-
ria^^e, ib. ; llees at the battle of
Bovines, 316 ; his death, ib.

Otho, the legate, arrives in Eng-
land, 321; holds a synod at Ox-
ford, ib. ; taken prisoner by the
emperor on his return, 322.

Ottoboni, papal legate, arrival of,
339; holds a council in the Tem-
ple, ib. ; goes to Bury St. Ed-
mund's, and excommunicates the
adherents of Montfort, 342 :
holds a council at London, 343,
absolves Montfort and his ad-
herents, ib. ; returns home,
344,

Owen (ap-Cadwgan), king of
Wales, slain 228.

king of Gwent, submits to

Athelstan, 96.

Oxford burnt, 259 ; a synod there,
321 ; tumult of the scholars, ib. •
Provisions of, 331.

Simon, earl of, son of Simon

de Montfort, 337.

Paderborn burnt, 160.

Pagan us, a Norman knight, killed
by the Welsh, 252.

Paiidulph, his arrival in England,
314 ; elected bishop of Norwich,
316 ; made legate, 318 ; conse-
crated, ?&. ; hislegatine authority
revoked, ib. ; his death, 319.

Paris besieged by the Northmen,
75.

Parliament at Winchester, 338;
Bury, 342 ; Northampton, 343 ;
Westminster, 373; ditto, 374 ;
ditto, 378.

Paschal II. opposes lay investi-
tures, 215; taken prisoner by
the emperor Henry V., 219 ;
is reconciled, and crowns him,
ib. ; conventions between them
respecting investitures, 220.222;
holds the council of Lateran,
223; it annuls the concordat
with Henry, 224 ; his death, 229.

Pastoureaux. insurrection of, 327.

Paternus, a Scottish monk,peri.'!hes

voluntarily in the burning of
Paderborn, 160.

Patrick, St., death of, 4.

Paulinus, mission of, 12 ; ordained
bishop of the Northumbrians,
ib. ; converts king Edwin, ib. -^
receives the see of York, 13 ;
retires to Kent, ib. ; accepts the
see of Rochester, ib. ; his death,
15.

Paul's, St., cathedral built by
Ethelbert, 10 ; burnt, 185.

Peada, king of the Middle-Angles,
conversion of, 17 ; receives from
Oswy the kingdom of South-
Mercia, 18. 25 ; death of, ib.

Pedreda, council at. 176.

Pega, sister of St. Guthlac, 36.

Pehthelm, bishop of Whiterne, 40;
his death, 41.

Pehtwine, bishop of Whiterne, 43 ;
his death, 44.

Peterborough abbey founded, 25
and note.

Pembroke, William Marshall,
created earl of, 310.

Penda, king of Mercia, his ac-
cession, 12 ; genealogy, ib. ;
battle with Cynegils and Cui-
chelm at Cirencester, 13 ; de-
feats and kills Edwin, ib. ; de-
feats and slays Ecgric and Sigo-
bert, 14; defeats and slays Os-
wald at Maserfeld, 15 ; expels
Cenweach, king of Wessex, ib. ;
slays Anna, king of East Anglia,
17 ; is slain at Winwidfield, 18.

Penho, battle at, 113.

Pentecost, see Osbern.

Pepin, king of the Franks, sends

, Willibrord to preach in Fries-
land, 33 ; anointed emperor by
Boniface, 42.

Perche, count of, slain in battle at
Lincoln, 317.

Peter, bisliop of Exeter, 363 ; his
death, 397.

bishop of Hereford, raises

money in the name of the clergy,
329 ; seized by the malcontems,
334.

11 II 2

500

INDEX.

^

Peter, Geoffrey Fitz-, made jus-
ticiary, 10 ; created earl of
Essex, lb.

— ^- the hermit, his prophecies

and execution, 315.

king of Arragon, gains pos-
session of Sicily, 369 ; deprived,
371 ; his death, 397.

papal legate, 175.

Peverel, William, surrenders
the castle of La Houlme to
Robert, 19.

Philip, duke of Swabia, assassi-
nated, 313.

I., king of France, accession

of, 161 ', enters Normandy on
behalf of Robert, 191 ; gives
Gerberoi to prince Henrv, 180 ;
his death, 218.

II., king of France, 287 ; his

daughter betrothed to Stephen's
son, Eustace, 275 ; takes the
cross, 304 ; returns home, 306 ;
divorces his queen, Ingeburg,
310 ; takes and destroys many
places in Normandy, 311; re-
duces Normandy, Anjou, Maine,
and Poitou, ib.; takes Chinon,
312; preparestoinvade England,

315 ; gains the battle of Bovines,

316 ; his death, 318.

III., king of France, coro-
nation of, 348 ; receives Arra-
gon from the pope, 371 ; his
death, 372.

■ IV.', king of France, crowned

at Ehteims, 374; his treacherous
conduct, 402.

— — Stephen's chancellor, made
bishop of Salisbury, 275.

Picts, the, invade Britain, 1, 2;
subdued by Oswy, 18 ; defeated
by Berhtfrith, 36.

Northern, converted by St.

Columba, 7.

Pilgrimage, account of, to Jerusa-
lem, before the cr-usade, 164.

, to Pontigny, 328 and note.

Pirates, Dutch, the coast infested
by the, 366.

Pelgmund invited by Alfred, 68-,

made archbishop of Canterbury,

79 ; consecrates seven bishops.

in one day, 216.
Port and his sons, arrival of, 4.
Portsmouth, they land there, ib.
Prester John, the pope's letter to,

303.
Provisions of Oxford, 331.
Priim, abbey, the devil among the

monks there, 256 — 258.
Putta, bishop of Hereford, his

death, 31.

bishop of Rochester, 22 1

assists at the synod of Hertford,
24 ; withdraws from his see, on
account of the ravages of the
Mercians, 26 ; takes a cure
under bishop Saxulf, ib. ; his

~ death, ib.

Quenburgh, daughter of Ina, 37.
Quendryth causes her brother

Kenelm to be murdered, 49.
Quichelm, see Cwichelm.

Ralph, earl, raises forces against
Godwin, 157 ; is killed, ib.

earl of Norfolk, marries

Fitz-Osbern's daughter, 177;
revolts against William I., 178;
escapes to Brittany, ib.

bishop of Carlisle, 859.

bishop of Chichester, attends

a council held by Anselm, 211.
bishop of Chichester, 318;

his death, ib.

bishop of the Orkneys, con-

secrated, 244 ; expelled, and be-
comes coadjutor in Durham and
York, ib. and note; his death,
246.

— d'Escures, abbot of Seez, 213;
bishop of Rochester, 218 ; trans-
lated to Canterbury, 225; re-
ceives the pallium, 226 ; disputes
between him and Thurstan,
archbishop of York, 227 ; goes
to Rome, 228 ; his return, 231 ;
his death, 234.
see Flambard.

Ramsey abbey, consecration of, 90.

INDEX.

501

Ranulf, earl of Chester, death

of, 3:21.
Reading, Ethelred and Alfred de-
feated by the Danes at, 62 ;

abbey of, 250, 273; synod at,

3(il.
Redvers, Baldwin de, defends

Exetei*, 251 ; is banished, ib.
Redwald, kinj^ of East-Anglia,

defeats Ethelfrith, 10; the fourth

Bretwalda, 50.
Reginald, brother of the empress

jNLitikia, 284.
Regnold, the Danish king, submits

to king Ixhvard, 95; expelled

by king Edmund, 98.
Reignchn, bishop of Hereford,

212 ; his consecration, 21G ; his

death. 227.
Remi. bishop of Lincoln, builds a

cathedral there, 194; his death,/i.
Rheims, abbey of dedicated, 150 ;

a svnod there, j'i. ; council held

there, 231.
Rhys, brother of Griffyth, slain,

155.

ap-Tewdwr, king of South

"Wales, slain, 195.

ap-3Ieredyth, rebellion of,

375 ; capture and execution of,
398.

Ricbert assas^wirites Eorpwald,
king of the East- Angles, 13.

Richard, arehbisiiop of Canter-
bury, deposes William, abbot of
I'eterborough, 301 ; consecrated,
ih. ; his death, 303.

Magnus, archbishop of Can-
terbury, 319; his death, 320.

bishop of Chichester, canon-
isation of, 333 ; translation of,
35G.

bishop of Hereford, 233 ; his

death, 244.

de Swinefield, bishop of

Hereford, 3G7.

bishop of Lincoln, his death,

23G.

bishop of London, conse-
crated at Teckham, 218; his
death, 245.

Richard, bishop of Loudon, his

death, 309.
Talbot, bishop of London,

333 ; his death, ib.

de Gravesend, bishop of

London, 303.

Scamel, bishop of Salisbury,

370.

de Mora, elected bishop of

Winchester, 362 ; resigns, 367.

L, duke of Normandy, ac-
cession of, 9S.

IL, duke of Kormandy, his

death, 135 ; succeeded by
Richard III., his death, ib.

earl of Cornwall, goes to

Jerusalem, 322 ; his return, 323 ;
his marriage, ib. ; elected king of
the Romans, 329 ; crowned, /6. ;
returns to England, 332 ; death
of his queen, 333; taken prisoner
at the battle of Lewes, 335 ; his
death, 348.

I., king of England, born,

287 ; takes the cross as earl of
Poitou, 304 ; absolved for his
rebellion, 305 ; succeeds to the
crown, ib.; bounty to the Cis-
tercians, ib. ; arrives at Messi-
na, ib.', subdues Cyprus and
marries Berengaria, 306 ; sinks
a Saracen ship, ib.; takes Acre,
ib. ; captures a caravan, and
recovers Acre, ih. ; is arrested
at Vienna, delivered to the em-
peror, and imprisoned at Trifels,
306-7 ; is ransomed and re-
leased, ih.; returns to England
and is re-crow ned, ib. ; makes a
progress, 395; meets William,
king of Scotland, ib.\ refuses
him the earldom of Northum-
berland, &c., ih.; how the
Scottish kings are to be enter-
tained, 396 ; gives Poitou to
his nephew, 308; deleats the
king of France, 309; his death,
310; his charter to William,
king of Scotland, 391.

prince, perishes by ship-

Avrock, 232.

502

INDEX.

Ringniere, battle at, 118.

Robert Longchamp, abbot of

York, 308.
bishop of London, a Norman,

made archbishop of Canterbury,

150 ; escapes from England, 155.
de Kilwardby, archbishop of

Canterbury, 350 ; created a

cardinal, 358 ; his death, 362.
de Winchilsea, archbishop

of Canterbury, 400; enthroned,

410.

a Fleming, bishop of Bath,

249.

Burnel, bishop of Bath and

Wells, 353; elected archbishop
of Canterbury, 358; his election
annulled, 360 ; postulant for see
of Lincoln, 362 and note ; his
death, 399.

bishop of Carlisle, his death,

359.

bishop of Chester, 184; at-

■ tends a council held by Anselm,

211.
Pecceth, bishop of Coventry,

his death, 241.

bishop of Chester [of Coven-
try], 233; consecrated, ib.; his

death, 242.

bishop of Durham, his death,

353.

— de Haliland, bishop of Dur-
ham, 353 ; his death, 368.

bishop of Exeter, 258 ; goes to

Eome, 266.

— bishop of Hereford, 180 ; his
death, 200.

— prior of Leanthony, bishop of
Hereford, 247. 266; attends
Stephen, 273.

— Eloet, bishop of Lincoln, 195;
besieges Tickhill, 210 ; attends a
council held by Anselm, 211 ;
his death, 234, and note.

Grosseteste, bishop of Lin-

coln, 320; his death, 328
— bishop of Stafford [Coventry],
his death, 228.

bishop of St. Andrew's, con-

secration of, 244.

Robert, bishop of Salisbury, 347;

his death, 370.
de Reading, a friar-preacher,

turns Jew, 354.
— count of Artois, his rash con-

duct, in Palestine, 326.
— L, duke of Normandy, 135 ;
his death, 140.

[Curthose], son of William

the Conqueror, demands and
ravages Normandy, 179, 180;
divides his father's treasures,
186 ; makes peace with his bro-
ther William, 192 ; comes with
him to England, ib.; accompa-
nies his expedition towards Scot-
land, 193; mortgages Normandy
to his brother, 202 ; joins the
crusade, 203 ; returns, 208 ; as-
sembles forces at Treport, 209 ;
lands at Portsmouth, and pro-
ceeds to Winchester, ib. ; peace
between him and Henry, ib. ;
visits England, and relinquishes
his pension, 212 ; comes over ta
England, and intercedes witb
Henry, 214 ; is defeated by
Henry at Tinchebrai, ib.; taken
prisoner, 215 ; his death and
burial, 249.
— earl of Gloucester, see Glou-

cester.

Rochester laid in ruins, 26; burnt,
247; cathedral of, consecrated, i6,

castle of, besieged, 188 ; the

custody of, granted to the arch-
bishops of Canterbury, 241.
Solomon de, a judge-in-eyre,

374.
Rodolpli of Hapsburgli, elected

king in Germany, 353 ; defeats

the king of Bohemia, 358 ; his

death, 397.
Roger, archbishop of York, crowns

Henry, son of Henry 11. , 289 ;

suspended by the pope, 292 ;

embitters the king against

Becket, ib. ; is maltreated at

Westminster, 202.

de Clinton, bishop of Chester,

246 ; goes to Rome, 266.

INDEX.

o03

Roger, bishop of Coventr)-, 94(5.

de AVeseham, bishop of Co-
ventry, 3.24.

bishop-elect of Hereford, 211 ;

his death, ib.

JSiger, bishop of Loudon,

319.

bishop of NoiNvich, his death,

308.

— bishop of Salisbury, 212 ; his
consecration, 21G ; treatment of
him by Stephen, 200 ; his death
and great wealth, 205.

bishop of Worcester, sent to

Home respecting Becket's mur-
der, 2'JG.

— (Desmoulins), master of the
Hospitallers, comes to England,
303.

de Montgomery, revolts a-

gainst William llufus, 188 ; his
death, lUO.

duke of Apulia, defeated, 254.

EoUo, lauds in Normandy, 70 ;
death of, 02.

Romans, the, quit Britain, 1, 2.

liomanus, bishop of Rochester, 12.

Roni, earl of Hereford, 144.

Ross, William de, competitor for
the crown of Scotland, 383,

Royland, Richard de, a judge-in-
eyre, 374.

Runcorn built, 02.

Rywallon succeeds his brother
Griflfyth, 100 ; ravages Hereford-
shire, 177.

Safeddin, writes to the pope, 303 ;

takes Jaffa, 308.
Sahara, William de, a judge-in-

eyre, 374.
St. Andrew's, Tliurgot consecrated

bishop of, 210.
St. Cross founded by Ellleda, Idng

Edgar's widow, 280.
St. Giles, Raymond, count of,

takes the cross, 202.
Saladin defeated by the master of

tlie Templars, 302 ; writes to the

pope, 303 ; orders Reuaud de

Chi'ilillon to be beheaded, 304.

Salisbury cathedral dedicated, 104.

William, earl of, his death,

308.

William Longspee, earl of,

308 ; his death, 310.

Samson, bishop of Worcester, 202;
attends a council held by An-
selm, 211 ; his deatli, 220.

Sanchia, queen of Richard, king
of Germany, her death, 833.

Sarchele, Walter de, a judge-in-
eyre, 374.

Sarum, Old, battle at, 0.

Savary de Mauleon revolts in
Poitou, 315.

Saviour's, St., a Roman church at
Canterbury, restored by Augus-
tine, 0.

Saxons, their arrival in Britain, 3 ;
traditions of their origin, 250.

Saxony, Henry, duke of, takes
refuge with Henry II., in Nor-
mandy, 303.

Saxulf, founder and abbot of Peter-
borough, 20 ; bishop of the Mer-
cians, ib., 20 ; expelled from
Lindsey, 27.

Sceorstan, battle of, 127.

School, English, at Rome, burnt,
49; Burlired buried there, 08;
released from imposts by pope
Marinus, 73.

Scottish kings, series of, 387, 388 ;
how to be treated on visiting
England, 300.

Scotland, Edward I. claims the
suzerainty, 382 ; competitors for
crown, 383 ; charters, l^c, re-
lating to the claim, 384, 3^0.
380. 304; decision in favour of
Baliol, 300.

Scrope, Richard Fitz-, a Norman,
settled in England, 104 ; ravages
the lands of Edric the Forester,
171.

Scurf, a Danisli jarl, slain, 89.

Scutage, see Taxation.

Sebert, king of the East-Saxons,
embraces Christianity, 10; causes
St. I'aul's, London, to be built,
ib.; death, 11.

504

INDEX.

Sebert, the sons of, expel Justus

and Mellitus, 11 ; they are slain,

lb.
Sebbi, kmg of the East-Saxons,

21.25.
Secular clergy, sec Canons.
Selred, king of the East-Saxons,

slain, 42.
Sexburgh, abbess of Ely, 27.

queen of Ereconberht, 15.

• Cenwalch's widow, governs for

a year, 28.
Sexhelm, bishop of Lindisfarne,

99.
Sheppey, Isle of, the Danes winter

in, 54, 50.
Shrewsbury, Hugh, earl of, invades

Anglesey, 204 ; his death, ih.

Roger, earl of, conspires
against William II,, 187 ; his
death, 19C.

Sideman, abbot of Exeter, bishop
of Crediton, 103.

Sidon, bishop of, celebrates mass
at Jerusalem, 364.

Sidroc, a Danish jarl, slain at Ash-
down, 03.

Siferth, king, pays homage to
Edgar, 105.

Sigan murders Alfwold of North-
umbria, 47.

Sigar, abbot, made bishop of Yv^ells,
108.

Sigebert, king of East-Anglia, 121;
abdicates and becomes a monk,
ih. ; his death, ib.

king of Essex, baptised by

Finan, 17 ; invites Cedd, ib. ;
builds a monastery, ih. ; is mur-
dered, ib. ; his character, ib.
king of Wessex, 42 ; expelled

by Cynewulf, ib. ; slays Cumbra,
ib. ; is slain, ib.

Sigeferth, murder of, 124.

Sigefrid, bishop of Winchester,
230.

Sigefrith, abbot of Wearmouth, 29 ;
his death, 31.

Sigeric (Siricius), bishop of Wilton,
107 ; raised to the see of Canter-
bury, 109 ; advises a tribute to

be paid to the Danes, 109; his
death, 111.

Sighelm, earl, slain, 88.

Sighere, king of Essex, 21, 25.

Sigulf, ealdorman, slain, 88.

Sihtric, king of Northumbria, mar-
ries king Athelstan's sister, 90 ;
his death, ib.

Simon de Wauton, bishop of Nor-
wich, 330 ; takes refuge at Bury
St. Edmund's, 334.

Simon, bishop of Worcester, 236 ;
consecrated, 237; enthroned with
great pomp, ib. ; goes to Rome,
266.

Siward Barn takes refuge in Ely,
177.

Siward appointed bishop of Ro-
chester, 150; consecrated, 100;
his death, 172.

earl of Northumbria, sent to

destroy Worcester, 144; raises
forces against Godwin, 151 ; de-
feats Macbeth, 150 ; his death, ib.

Souche, Alan la, sec Zouch.

Soules, Nicholas de, competitor for
the crown of Scotland, 383.

South-Saxons, arrival of, under
JSlla, 4 ; conversion of, by Wil-
frith, 27 ; Ethelwalh, king of,
slain, 29 ; subjugated by Cead-
walla, ib.; battle between them
and Ina, 38.

Southwell, relics found at, 253.

Spain, queen of, mother of queen
Eleanor, her death, 300; Edward
has Ponthieu, in her right, ib.

Spearhafoc, abbot of Abingdon,
made bishop of London, and
ejected, 150.

Spirit, story of an Evil, 352.

Stamford -bridge, battle of, 109,

Standard, battle of the, 204.

Stephen Langton, consecrated
archbishop of Canterbury at
Viterbo, 312 ; retm^ns home,
313 ; consecrates Hugh, bishop
of Lincoln, 314 ; holds a synod
at Oxford, 318 ; his death, 319.

bishop of Chichester, his

death, 2.

INDEX.

505

Stephen, kiug, accession of, 240;
be besieges Exeter, vJjI ; goes
abroad, 25"-i ; returns to 1-inglancl,
254: ; takes the castle of Bedford,
2bO ; goes to Gloucester, iii)S ;
to Hereford, 259 ; takes "NVeo-
bly, ib. ; imprisons the bishops
of Sahsbury and Lincoln, 2(i0.
207 ; niai'chos to liristol, and
lays siege to the castle, 202 ;
raises the siege, and besieges
Castle-Ctuy, Hai'pti'ee, and Dud-
ley castles, ib. ; takes Shrews-
bury castle, ib. ; proceeds against
"SVareham, 2G-'3 ; goes to "Worces-
ter, 207; besieges Ludlow castle,
ih. ; goes to Oxford, ib. ; besieges
WalUngford, 201); and Malnies-
"bury, ib. ; goes to Worcester,
272 ; keeps Christmas at Salis-
bury, 273 ; goes to Reading, ib. ;
to ^N'orcester and Hereford, 275;
taken prisoner at the battle of
Lincoln, 270 ; imprisoned at
Bristol, 280.

Stigand made bishop of Elmham,
14:2, 14:0 ; ejected from his see,
142 ; re-elected, ib. ; bishop of
Selsey, ib. ; bishop of Winchester,
147 ; archbishop of Canterbury,
155 ; interdicted from episcopal
functions, 103,171; deposed, 174.

bisliop of Selsey, transfers the

see to Chichester, 175 ; his death,
1H5.

Stowe, see Mary-Stowe.

Strenwold, slain by the Danes, 109,

Streoneshealh, see Whitby.

Strigul, earldom of, 310.

Stuf, nephew of Cerdic, his arrival
with Wliitgar, 5; receives the
Isle of Wiglit from Cerdic, ib.
&4.

Subsidies granted, 307. 309.

Subsidy, see Taxes.

Suiihulf, bishop of Rochester,
slain, H5.

Sun, see eclipse.

Swfljhoard and Wilitred, kings of
Kent, 32.

Sweyn, king of Denmark, assaults

London, 110; plunders and de-
stroys in llssex, Kent, Arc, 111 ;
receives tribute, and winters at
Southampton, ib, ; takes Exeter,
114; sacks Wilton and Salisbury',
ib. ; burns Norwich, 115 ; peace
between him and Ulfkytel, ib. ;
burns Tlietford, ib. ; battle be-
tween him and Ulfkytel, ib. ; he
returns to Denmark, ib.; lands at
Gainsborough, receives the sub-
mission of Uhtred and the Nor-
thumbrians, (tc, 121 ; marches
against the East-Mercians and
takes Oxford, 122 ; proceeds to
Winchester and London, ib.; re-
pulsed from London, mai'ches to
Wallingford and Bath, ib. ; re-
ceives the submission of Ethel-
mar and the western thanes, ib.;
is proclaimed king, ib. ; exacts
tribute to pay his fleet, 123 ;
levies contributions on St. Ed-
mundsbury, ib. ; his death, ib.

Sweyn Estiithson, king of Den-
mark, seeks aid of king Edward,
147.

son of Canute, receives Nor-
way from his father, 140.

son of Godwin, returns from

Denmark, 148 ; murders his cou-
sin Biorn, 149 ; goes a pilgrimage
to .Jerusalem, 154; his death, ib,

Swiftney, a Scottish doctor, death
of, 80.

Swithhelm, bisliop of Sherborne,
73 ; carries Alfred's alms to St.
Thomas, in India, ib.

king of Essex, 17.

Switliin, St., birth of, 50; instructs
Ethelwulf, ib.; made bishop of
Winchester, 52; his death, 50;
translation of, //;.

Swithred, king of Essex, 43.

Synod at Hatfield, 27 ; Twyford, 28 ;
Ockley, 45 ; Cealchliythe, 40 ;
Finchale, 40; Clovesho,49; Kirt-
linf^ton, 107 ; Calne, ib.; Ames-
bury, ib. ; Westminster, 238 ; an-
other there, 205 ; at Beading,
301; Ely, 380.

506

INDEX.

Talbot, Geoffrey de, holds Weobley
castle, 259 ; sets fire to Hereford,
ib.; deserts the party of Stephen,
261; taken prisoner at Bath, lb. ;
liberated, ib.; slain in a skirmish
near Bath, 278.

Tamworth, restored by Ethelfleda,
90.

Tartars, the, devastate Hungary,
321 ; embassy from the Khan,
357; defeat the sultan of Bab.y-
lon, 357 ; take Jerusalem, 359 ;
embassy from the Khan, 363 ;
defeat and capture the sultan of
Egypt, 367 ; embassies from, 376.
381.

Tatfrith, bishop of the Hwiccas
(Worcester), dies before conse-
cration, 27.

Tatwine, archbishop of Canterbury,
39 ; his death, 40.

Taunton, castle of, built by In a,
destroyed by his queen Ethel-
burh, 38.

Taxes and imposts, the Danegelt,
111 ; remitted, 134; six shillings
per hide by William I., 184; five
shillings by Kichard I,, 309 ;
three shillings by John, 310; the
seventh part, 311; scutage, ib.;
the thirtieth, 313; John's exac-
tions, 315 : scutage by Henrylll.,
323. 332; list of, ib.; and 359.
403 ; aid on his son's knight-
hood, 327; subsidies, 328. 363;
forced loan, 365; subsidies, 367.
397. 405. 407 ; refusal of, 409.

Temple, a council held at the,
339. '

Tempsford, fortress at, erected by
the Danes, 93 ; besieged and
taken, ib.; Teotanhele, battle at,
89.

Theobald, archbishop of Canter-
bury, goes to Kome, 266 ; his
death, 287.

Theodore, consecrated archbishop
of Canterbury, 22 ; bestows the
abbey of St. Peter's on Benedict
Biscop, ib.; re-ordains Ceadda,
ib.; appoints Putta to Rochester,

ib. ; assembles a council at Hert-
ford, 24; deposes Winfrid, bishop
of the Mercians, and appoints
Saxwulf in his stead, 25 ; holds
a synod at Hatfield, 27 ; ordains
Tunberht to the see of Hexham,
Trumwine to that of the Picts,
and Eathed to that of Ripon,
28 ; presides at the synod of
Tvvyford, 29 ; his death, 32.

Theodred, bishop of London, 85.

Theodric, king of Bernicia, 6.

Theowulf, bishop of Worcester,
225; consecrated, 226; his death,
235.

Thetford, see transferred to, from
Elmham, 142.

Thomas, canon of Bayeux, made
archbishop of York, 175 ; is con-
secrated by Lanfranc, 176 ; op-
poses the dedication of Lincoln
cathedral, 194 ; his death, 208.

archbishop of York, 217 ;

joins Anselm in measures for
the reformation of the clergy,
ib. ; his consecration, 219 ; his
death, 225.

bishop of the East- Angles, 16.

de Bitton, bishop of Exeter,

397.

de Canteloupe, bishop of He-
reford, 354 ; his death, 367.

de Blunville, bishop of Nor-
wich, 319; his death, 321.

Ingoldesthorpe, bishop of

Rochester, 376 ; his death, 381.

bishop of Rochester, 381.

Bek, bishop of St. David's,

his death, 400.

a Becket, see Becket.

Thored commands a fleet against
the Danes, 110.

Thorold, earl of Middlesex, sent by
Hardicanute to sack Worcester,
144.

Thrond employed to disinter king
Harold, 142.

Thrum murders archbishop El-
phege, 121.

Thurferth, jarl, submits to Edward
the Elder, 94.

INDEX.

507

Thurgot, bishoii of St. Andrew's,
consecration at York, '219.

Thuringiau tradition, viol, 205.

Thurkytel, a Danish chief, submits
to king l-Alward, 91; goes to
France, '.)'i.

Thurkill, jarl, arrives at Thanet,
117 ; receives contributions from
Kent, and goes to the Isle of
"Wiglit, Sussex, and Hampshire,
ib. ; exacts pay for his tieet at
Greenwich, 12"^ ; is made earl of
East-Angha, by Canute, l^J."]; as-
sists in founding a church at
Assandun, 134; is banished,
135.

Thurstan, abbot of Glastonbuiy,
outrages perpetrated bv him,
183.

abbot of Pershore, 184 ; his

death, 1S5.

archbishop of York, 2'2~); at-

tends the king to Normandy,
226 ; disputes between him and
Ralph, archbishop of Canter-
bury, 227 ; ordiuned by the pope,
t^.; is forbidden to enter Eng-
land or Normandy, ib.; at the
council of Rheiras, 231 ; humi-
liation of, 240; consecrates
Robert, bishop of St. Andrew's,
244 ; raises the Yorksbiremen
before the battle of the Standard,
200 ; becomes a monk at Ponte-
fract, 274 ; his death, ib.

Thurstan, a huus-carl, slain by the
people of Worcester, 143.

Tiberias, battle of, 304.

Tilljerht, bishop of Hexham, 44.

Tilhere, bisliop of Worcester, 44 ;
his death, ib.

Tilred, bisliop of Lindisfarne, 91 ;
his death, 90.

Tinchebnii, battle of, 214.

Tirel, Walter, kills William Rufus,
in the New Forest, 200.

Tobias, bishop of Rochester, 33;
his death, 38.

Tonsure, disputes about the, 19.
37.

Tostig, son of Godwin, llees with

his family to Flanders, 152 ; re-
ceives the earldom of North-
umberland, 150 ; goes to Rome,
101; expelled by the North-
umbrian tlianes, 107 ; flees to
Flanders, ib.; plunders the Isle
of Wight and Sandwicli, 108 ;
goes to Lindsey, and thence to
Scotland, ib. ; joins king Harold
Hardrada, 109 ; defeats Edwin
and Morcar, ib. ; his death, ib.

Tours, cotmcil of, 288.

Tovy, Michael, mayor of London,
hanged, 350.

Towcester built, 93 ; besieged by
the Danes, 94.

Tracy, William de, one of the
murderers of Becket, 293.

Tremerin, bishop of St. David's,
his death, 158.

Trent, battle of the, 27.

Trefels, Richard I. confined there,
307 and note.

Tripoli, taken by the Saracens,
378.

Trumhere, abbot of Gilling, 18 ;
made bishop of the Mercians,
19.

Trurawine, bishop of Wbitherne,
28 ; retires to Hexham, 29 ; his
death, ib.

Tuda, bishop of the Northum-
brians, 20 ; his death, ib.

Tunberht, bishop of Hexham, 28 ;
deposed at the synod of Twy-
ford, 29.

Ttmbriht, bishop of Litchfield, 67 ;
his death, 90.

Turbeville, Thomas de, treason of,
410 ; his execution, ib.

Turkytel, Myrenheafod, takes flight
at the battle of Ringmere, 118.

Turri, Nicholas de, a justiciary-in-
eyre, 340,

Twyford, synod at, 29.

Tyrhtcl, bishop of Hereford, 31 ;
his death, 30.

Vuloncc, William de, expulsion of,
331; mulcts the abbey and town
of Rury, 340.

508

INDEX.

Vescy, John tie, competitor for the
crown of Scotland, 383.

Ufgeat, son of Alfhelm, blinded by
command of Ethelred, ib.

(Jhtred consecrated bishop of
Llandaff, 275.

~. earl, submits to Sweyn,

121 ; ravages the country with
Edmund etheling, 126 ; submits
to Canute, ib. ; his death, ib.

Virgilius, abbot, his death, 87.

Llf, bishop of Dorchester, 140;
expulsion of, 156.

son of Dolfin, murdered,

167.

[Jlfkytel, earl of East-Anglia, makes
peace with Sweyn, 115 ; battle
between him and Sweyn, ib. ; de-
feated at Ringmere, 118; slain
in the battle of Assandun, 130.

Clric, a cardinal, comes to England,
219.

Urban XL preaches the crnsade,
202 ; holds a council at Rome
against lay investitures, 205.

bishop of Glamorgan (Llan-
daff), consecration of, 216; his
appeal to the pope, 245.

Urse, Reginald Fitz-, one. of the
murderers of Becket, 293.

Urso D'Abitot, sheriif of Worces-
tershire, 178 ; Emmeline, his
heiress, marries Walter de Beau-
champ, 271, note.

Walchere, bishop of Durham, 177;
murdered, 180.

Waldhere, bishop of London, 25.

Wales, English laws introduced by
king John, 314; final subjuga-
tion of, by Edward I., 368.

Waleran, eaii of Mellent, impri-
soned at Rouen, 236 ; seizes
Wark Castle, 265 ; made earl of
Worcester, 271, 272, note ; sacks
Sudeley Castle, ib. ; assaults
Winchcomb, 274 ; repulsed at
Sudeley, 275 ; attacks Leomin-
ster and Tewkesbury, ih.

Walhstod, bishop of Hereford,
39.

Walkelin, bishop of Winchester,

175; his death, 203.
Wallibus, John de, a judge-in-eyre,

359, 374.
Walo, cardinal, arrives in England,

317; crowns Henry III., ib.;

absolves king Lewis, ib.; de-
parts, 318.
Walter, archbishop of York, his

death, 361.
de Lacy, opposes the revolt

against William I., 178.

bishop of Albano, arrives as

legate, 199.

bishop of Exeter, his death,

363.

— of Lorraine, bishop of Here-
ford, 161 ; submits to William
the Conqueror, 170.

de Constance, bishop of Lin-

coln, 303 ; made archbishop of
Rouen, ib.

— bishop of Norwich, 324 ; his
death, 330.

de Merton, bishop of Roches-

ter (founder of Merton College),
353 ; his death, 357,

Delaville, bishop of Salis-

bury, his death, 347.

Scamel, bishop of Salisbury,

370 ; his death, 374.

Robert Fitz-, his flight, 315.

Waltheof, earl, joins the sons of
king Sweyn, 173 ; conspires
against William the Conqueror,
178 ; his imprisonment and exe-
cution, 179.

Wark, castle of, besieged, 264.

Warrenne, John, earl, fines the
abbey and town of Bury, 340 ;
murders Alan de la Zouch, 346.

William, earl, slain, 374.

Warwick founded by Ethelfleda,
90.

Watling Street, why so called, 121.

Weddesbyrig built, 92.

Welsh, the revolt against Wil-
liam Rufus, 198 ; outrages by
them, 250, 251 ; their hostages
hanged, 315.

Wincing, son of ^lla, 4.

INDEX.

oOt)

Weohstan, eaUorman, slain in a
battle with tlie Mercians, 4H.

"Wereburgh, St., daughter of Wiilf-
Iiere, king of Mercia, 2-L; her
sanctity, death, and burial. 25.

queen of Mercia, her death,

4').

"Werefrith, bishop of Worcester,
GS ; translates Gregory's Dia-
logues, ih. ; invited by Alfred, IG ;
his death, t>!).

Weremund, bishop of Rochester,
48.

bishop of "Worcester, 44 ; his

death, ib.

Werwulf, a Mercian priest, invited
by Alfred, Gy.

Westminister, dedication of the
abbey, 107; a synod there, 2-"]8.
200 ; a council, ^41 ; palace
burnt, 2o4 ; parliaments there,
37;i, :J74. ;378.

Wessex, kingdom of, founded by
Cerdic and Cynric, 5; conversion
of, 14 ; Eirinus, first bishop of, ib.

West-Saxons land in England, 5.

Weyland, Thomas de, his trial for
murder, '377; he is banished, o78.

Wherwell Abbey burnt, 2^5.

Whitby Abbey (Streoneshealh),
founded by St. Hilda, 18 ; a
synod held there, 11).

Whitheme, Insliopric of, 41.

Wiccii, or Hwiccas, the, 32 and
note.

Wicganbeorh, Danes defeated at,
54.

Wigberht, bishop of Sherborne,
goes to Rome, 48.

Wigheard dies at Rome, 21.

Wiglit, Isle of, taken by Cerdic and
Cynric, 5 ; given to Stuf and
Wihtgar, i6.; taken by \\'ult'hore,
and given to Kthclwokl, 1!),
taken by Ceadwalla, and a
quarter of it granted to Wilfrid,
30; in the diocese of Winchester.
31).

Wiglaf, king of Mercia, OO ; ex-
pulsion of, ib.; restoration of,
ib.; his death, 52.

Wigstan, St., death of, 54.
Wiliampton, Henry de, a Justice-

in-eyre, 34G.
Wihtburli, St., her corpse found

incoiTupt, 48.
Wihtgar, nephew of Cerdic, his

arrival, 5 ; receives from his

uncle the Isle of Wight, ib., and

54 ; his death, G.
Wihtgara-bvrig[Carisbrook castle"',

5, G. 54. "
Wihtred and Swebheard, kings of

Kent, 32 ; death of Wihtred, oH.
Wilferth, bishop of Worcester, 95 ;

his death, 90.
Wilfrid, bishop of St. David's, his

death, 220.
bishop of Northumbria, iiis

birth, 14; present at the synod
of Whitby, 19 ; ordained in
France by Agilbert, 20; his
legates at the synod of Hertford,
24 ; expelled from his see, 2() ;
converts the Fi'isians, 27 ; goes to
Rome, returns and converts the
South-Saxons, 27 ; appointed to
the see of Hexham, 30 ; receives
a quarter of the Isle of Wight
from Ceadwalla, ib. ; expelled
from Hexham, 32 ; betakes
himself to Ethelred of Mercia,
ib. ; is made bishop of tlie
^Middle-Angles, ib. ; his death, 41.

bishop of Worcester, 37. 3i);

his death, 41.

II., archbishop of York, 38 ;

his death, 41.

William [Curboil], archbishop of
Canterbury, 235 ; he goes to
Rome, ib.; again goes to Rome,
240 ; is appointed legate, ib. ;
his death, 25!).

de Wickewane, archbishop of

York, 3G1 ; his death, 373.

bishop of Bath and Wells,

his (leatli, 353.

de la Marche, bishop of Batli

and Wells, .'U)!).

bishop of Durham, 1^3; ho

conspires against Williani II. ,
187; his death, 201.

510

INDEX.

William Longbeard, liimg at Lon-
don, 308.

Longchamp, bishop of Ely,

305 ; becomes legate, justiciary,
and chancellor, ib. ; arrested by
king John, 306 ; goes to the pope,
ib. ; his death, 308.

de Kilkenny, bishop of Ely,

3:28 ; his death, 329.

de Luda, bishop of Ely, 378;

conseci'ated, 380.

bishop of Exeter, consecration

of, '216.

bishop of London, 152;

escapes from England, 155 ;
restored, ib.

a Korman, bishop of London,

309; lays the kingdom under
an interdict, 313 ; withdraws
from England, ib.; returns, ib.

Turbe, bishop of Norwich,

his death, 301.

deEalegh, bishop of Norwich,

321; translated to Winchester,
323 ; his death, 326.

de Middleton, bishop of

Norwich, 358.

de la Corne, bishop of Salis-
bury, 376 ; his death, 397.

Longspee, bishop of Salisbury,

397.

bishop of Thetford, 184.

Giffard, bishop-elect of Win-
chester, 212; accompanies An-
selm to Eome, ib.; attends a
synod held by Anselm, 214; his
consecration, 216 ; his death,
246.

count of Holland, elected

emperor, 326 ; slain, 329.

William I., duke of Normandy, suc-
ceeds EoUo, 92 ; his death, 98.

[the Conqueror] inherits

Normandy, 140 ; \isits England,
152; his invasion, landing at
Pevensey, 170; defeats Harold
at Hastings, ib.; is crowned at
Westminster, 171 ; goes to Nor-
mandy, 171; levies heavy con-
tributions on the English, 172 ;
takes Exeter, ib. ; orders castles

to be built, 1 71, 172 ; lays waste
Northumbria, 173 ; bribes As-
biorn. the Dane, ib.; seizes the
valuables deposited in the mo-
nasteries, 174; invades Scotland,
177 ; Malcolm of Scotland does
fealty to him, ib. ; he takes
Maine, i&.; invades Brittany, 179 ;
is wounded before the castle of
G^rberoi, 180; devastates Nor-
thumbria, 183 ; imposes a tax
of six shillings per hide of land,
184; has all England surveyed,
ib. ; requires fealty to be sworn,
ib.; burns Mantes, 185; falls
sick and releases his prisoners,
ib. ; his death and burial, ib.

William II. (Kufus) arrives in Eng-
land, 185 ; is crowned, ib. ; dis-
tributes his father's treasm-e,
186 ; marches against the rebel-
lious barons, 187; takes Tun-
bridge, 188 ; besieges Eochester,
189; invades Normandy, 191;
bribes the king of France, ib. ;
makes peace with his brother
Eobert, 192; threatens the bor-
ders of Scotland, 193 ; makes
peace with Malcolm, ib. ; rebuilds
Carlisle, 195 ; falls sick, ib. ;
goes to Normandy, 197 ; makes
war on duke Eobert, ib. ; invades
Wales, 198 ; besieges Tyne-
mouth and Bamborough castles,
200, 201 ; besieges Newcastle,
200; and Bamborough, 201;
makes another expedition into
Wales, 203 ; quarrels with An-
selm, ib.; goes to Normandy, i&.;
takes Mans, ib. ; his death, 206.

king of Scotland, spends

Easter at Windsor, 288 ; swears
fealty to Henry, son of Heniy
II., 289 ; is taken prisoner, 302 ;
gives hostages and returns home,
ib. ; his homage to King John,
388 and note; to Henry II., ib.
and note ; charter, restoring to him
Eoxburgh and Berwick, 389 ;
claims Northumberland, &c., 395.

son of Henry I., receives

INDEX.

511

homage at Salisbury, 227 ; de-
clared lieir and invested with
Normandy, 230 ; perishes by
sliipwreck, 2."]2.

Willibrord goes as a missionary to
Germany, 32 ; sent by Pepin to
preach in Friesland, ib. ; goes to
Eorae, ilt. ; ordained archbishop
of the Frisians, 33.

"Wilton, Alfred defeated by the
Danes at, 07.

Wimbledon, battle at, 7.

Wimborne abbey founded by Cuth-
bui'h, sister of Ina, 37.

Winchester, the church of, built by,
Cenwalch, Ij ; he makes it the
bishop's see, 10 ; plundered by
the Danes, 59 ; the New Minster
dedicated, 104 ; a synod at, 174: ;
besieged and burnt, 283 — 285 ;
surprised and plundered by
Montfort, 337 ; parliament at,
338.

Windsor, miracles at, 2o3 ; court
held there, attended by William
and David of Scotland, and all
the nobles and bishops, 288 ;
parliament at, 338.

Wine, first bishop of Winchester,
1!); consecrates Ceadda to the
see of York, 20; expulsion of,
21 ; made bishop of London,
ih.

Winfrith, bishop of the Mercians,
llj; assists at the synod of
Hertford, ib. ; deposed by Theo-
dore, 2") ; his death, ih.

Winwidfield, battle of, 18.

Wippcd, a Saxon chief, 3.

Wippedsfieot, battle at, ib.

Witenagemot at London, 152.

Withani, in llssex, built, 80.

Witljobert, bishop of Hexham, 44;

Withlaf, see Wiglaf.

Withrcd, bishop of Lindisfame,
his death, OG.

Wodnesfield, battle at, SO.

WodnesbeorJi, battle at, 8.

Worcester, abbey cliurch of, built
by St. Oswald, 100; bisliopric
founded l)y Oshere and arch-

bishop Theobald, 424 ; antiquity
of the city, ib.; its beauty and
fortifications, 425 ; a huus-carl of
Hardicanute slain there, 143 ;
plundered and burnt by his
order, 144 ; Wulfstan becomes
bishop, 1 (i3 ; assei^ts his rights
against York, 170 ; Wulfstan and
Urso lead the men of Worcester
against the earl of Hereford,
1 78 ; the city defended by Wulf-
stan against the insurgents and
Welsh, 180—101 ; the city, cas-
tle, and principal church burnt,
225 ; Simon, the bishop-elect, re-
ceived by the people in proces-
sion, 236 ; solemnly enthroned,
237 ; king Stephen visits Wor-
cester, 207 ; the city and cathe-
dral sacked and set on fire, 270,
271 ; Stephen visits and grieves
over it, 272 ; marches there
again, 275.

Worcester, earl of, 271 and notf.

Wuer, king of Gwent, routed by
Athelstan, 96.

Wulfeah, son of Alflielm, blinded
by command of Ethelred, 110,

Wulfhard routs the men of Kent,
40; defeats the Danes at South-
ampton, 51 ; his death, ib.

Wulfgeat, stripped of his honours,
115.

Wulfhelm, archbishop of Canter-
bury, 00.

Wulf here, king of Mercia, 10 ; takes
the Isle of Wight, 10 ; founds a
monastery, 22 ; battle between
him and Egcwine, king of Wes-
sex, at Beadenhead, 24 ; his death
and character, ib.

Wnlfhild, abbess of Barking, 25.

Wulfnoth, falsely accused by Briht-
ric, flees, and burns several king's
ships, 117.

Wulfrcd, archbishop of Canterbury,
4H ; goes to Home, 48, 49 ; his
death, 51.

Wulfric, son of Leofwine, slain, 1 18.

Wulfsige, bishop of Litchfield, 142 ;
his death, 155,

512

69B009

INDEX.

Wulfsige, abbot of Eamsey, slain
at Assandun, 131.

Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester, at
first abbot of Gloucester, IGO;
his early years, 161 ; made priest,
162; I'is monastic life, ib.; re-
fuses the bishopric, 163 ; con-
sents, and is consecrated, ib. ;
submits to William the Con-
queror, 170; his suit against
the archbishop of York, 175 ;
gains his cause, 177 ; opposes
the revolt against William, 178 ;
repulses the insurgent barons,
ib. ; defends Worcester in Ste-
phen's wars, 189 ; ai^ms the
citizens, 190; strikes the enemy
blind, 101 ; his death and cha-
racter, 198, 190.

archbishop of York, swears

fealty to king Edred, and
breaks it, 09 ; confined at Jed-
burgh, 100 ; released, and made
bishop of Dorchester, ib. ; his
death, 101.

archbishop of York, 114; his

death, 135.

dean of Glastonbury, his

death, 108.
Wulfsi, bishop of Dorchester, his

death, 171
Wulmar, Manni, abbot of Evesham,

140,
Wyrtgcorn fights with Hen gist and

Horsa, at ^Egelesthrep, 3.

king of the Wends, 146 ; his

daughter and grandsons banish-
ed, ib.

Yarmouth, [Cerdices-ora ?], 5.

York, archbishop of, a metropolitan,
9; Paulinus, first bishop of, 13;
succeeded by Ithamar, 15 ; seized
by the Danes, CO ; burnt by the
Normans, 173 ; destroyed by fire,
952.

Yttingaford, peace made there be-
tween king Edward and the
Danes, 88.

Zabulus, story of, 256.
Zacharias, a Genoese pirate, 401.
Zouch, Alan la, murdered, 346.

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